China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills

US State Department says China is putting the ‘region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk’ as Beijing carried out a second day of military exercises aimed at Taiwan

A public big screen broadcasts news about China's military drills around Taiwan, outside a shopping mall in Beijing. Picture: AFP

China is putting regional security at risk by holding military exercises off the coast of Taiwan, the United States warned on Wednesday, as Beijing carried out a second consecutive day of drills in the politically sensitive waters.

Beijing’s “aggressive” military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan “only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk,” the US State Department said in a statement.

China’s military said on Wednesday it had conducted “live-fire” drills as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan, adding that “simulated strikes” had been carried out on key ports and energy sites.

“The drills involve precision strikes on simulated targets of key ports and energy facilities, and have achieved desired effects,” military spokesman Senior Colonel Shi Yi said, adding the “long-range live-fire drills” were conducted in the East China Sea.

The surprise manoeuvres were slammed by Washington as “intimidation tactics” and come after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called China a “foreign hostile force”.

Named “Strait Thunder-2025A”, the drills are located in the middle and southern parts of the strait, the military said, which is a vital artery for global shipping.

Wednesday’s exercises aim to “test the troops’ capabilities” in areas such as “blockade and control, and precision strikes on key targets”, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement.

Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed China’s military exercises were ongoing but did not elaborate.

Taiwan is a potential flashpoint between China and the United States, which is the island’s most important security partner.

The US State Department said Beijing’s “aggressive” military activities and rhetoric towards Taiwan “only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk”.

Chinese leaders vigorously oppose Washington’s support for Taiwan and detest Lai, who they call a “separatist”.

Drills in the strait come a day after China sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for exercises Beijing said were aimed at practising for “precision strikes” and a blockade of the island.

That prompted Taipei to dispatch its own forces as part of a “Rapid Response Exercise”.

Beijing has increased the deployment of fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan in recent years to press its claim of sovereignty, which Taipei rejects.

Taiwan’s Presidential Office posted on X that “China’s blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the #Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region, as evidenced by drills near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the Philippines & the SCS. We strongly condemn China’s escalatory behaviour.”

The SCS refers to the South China Sea, the strategic and disputed waterway that China claims almost in its entirety. China’s navy also recently held drills near Australia and New Zealand for which it gave no warning, forcing the last-minute rerouting of commercial flights.

Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have escalated since Lai took office in May 2024 and adopted a tougher stance than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending the island’s sovereignty.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed “robust, ready and credible deterrence” in the strait during a visit to the region last week.

Although the United States is legally bound to provide arms to Taiwan, Washington has long maintained “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to whether it would deploy its military to defend the island from a Chinese attack.

China has carried out several large-scale exercises around the island in recent years, often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory.

Analysts have speculated that China was more likely to attempt a blockade of Taiwan than launch an all-out invasion, which was riskier and would require a huge military deployment.

AFP