For the second day running, the People's Republic of China is conducting its large-scale military exercise "Mission Justice 2025" in the waters and airspace around Taiwan. According to the Eastern Command of the People's Liberation Army, the exercises focus on simulated attacks against naval targets as well as complex air defense and anti-submarine warfare operations.
A massive deployment of destroyers, frigates, strategic bombers, and fighter jets is underway. According to the Ministry of Defense in Taipei, 130 sorties by Chinese aircraft and drones have already been recorded within 24 hours, the second-highest number ever recorded. Simultaneously, numerous warships and government vessels are patrolling the seven designated exclusion zones that almost completely encircle the island.
The hastily arranged military operation is having a massive impact on civil air traffic in one of the world's busiest regions. The Taiwanese Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported that the maneuver areas overlap with 15 of the 18 standard flight routes within the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR). At least 857 flights are affected, resulting in widespread delays and diversions in international passenger and cargo traffic. Currently, only three air routes to Japan remain open. The CAA condemned Beijing's actions as a serious violation of international civil aviation standards, as the mere 24-hour notice period did not allow for an orderly rescheduling of the global flight plan.
Political observers interpret the exercises as a direct show of force against the democratically elected government in Taipei and as a reaction to the recent US commitment to large-scale arms deliveries to Taiwan. Beijing officially described the maneuvers as a "serious warning" against separatist tendencies. The tensions are also spilling over into the entire region, particularly affecting Japan, which sees its own security as closely tied to stability in the Taiwan Strait. Experts point out that conducting live-fire exercises in close proximity to vital trade routes increases the risk of unintended escalation and significantly disrupts logistics chains in the Asia-Pacific region.
The People's Republic of China insists on its claim to consider Taiwan an integral part of its territory and does not rule out the use of military force to achieve this goal. Since 2022, the frequency and intensity of such maneuvers have steadily increased, with the current operation reaching a new level of intensity due to the high number of drone strikes and the coordination of various branches of the armed forces. While Taiwan has placed its armed forces on heightened alert, international security agencies are closely monitoring the movements of the Chinese fleet. The economic consequences of the airspace and sea lane blockades are already being felt through delays in supply chains in the high-tech sector.