China says it completed Taiwan drills as Japan, Philippines warn

China completes “Justice Mission 2025” drill, PLA says

China’s People’s Liberation Army said Wednesday that it “successfully completed” two days of military exercises in waters off Taiwan, concluding what it described as a New Year’s Eve operation meant to assert China’s sovereignty over the island. The PLA said the drills were part of “Justice Mission 2025.”

In its New Year’s Eve announcement, the PLA said the operation had “fully tested the integrated joint operations capabilities of its troops.” The statement was presented on video, accompanied by martial music, and it did not provide details about what constituted success or specify exactly when the exercises concluded.

Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, was quoted saying the troops would remain “Always on high alert.” Li said the Theater Command would keep strengthening combat readiness, “resolutely thwart the attempts of ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatists and external intervention,” and “firmly safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The announcement offered limited operational detail. It did not clarify whether the drills ended exactly at the close of Tuesday as earlier plans had indicated, or whether any remaining maneuvers continued into Wednesday.

Xi reiterates reunification message on New Year’s Eve

Chinese President Xi Jinping also weighed in on the Taiwan issue in an annual New Year’s Eve speech, while speaking in broadly framed terms about relations across the Taiwan Strait. Xi said Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share “a bond of blood and kinship.”

Xi also said the “reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.” The remarks came as China’s military activity around Taiwan has remained a persistent point of sensitivity for international governments.

Japan says the drills escalate tension; urges dialogue

Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the exercises around Taiwan were “an act that escalates tension in the Taiwan Strait.” In a statement Wednesday, Japan said it conveyed the concern to Beijing.

The ministry said Japan expects the issues surrounding Taiwan to be resolved peacefully through dialogue, calling that a position Japan has consistently maintained. It also said the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important for the entire international community, adding that Japan would continue to watch developments with strong interest.

Philippines defense minister cites coercion and self-restraint

In the Philippines, Defense Minister Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. said he was “deeply concerned by China’s military and coast guard actions around Taiwan,” adding that the conduct undermines stability “in an already fragile geopolitical environment.”

Teodoro said “This heightened scale of coercion has implications that extend beyond cross-Strait relations and into the broader Indo-Pacific community.” He said that “Basic principles of self-restraint must be observed.”

U.S. president downplays concern, points to long-running exercises

Earlier in the week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not concerned. The AP report said Trump cited his good relationship with Xi and pointed to the long-running nature of exercises in the area, saying China has been “doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.”