PLA wraps up drills aimed at ‘paralysing’ Taiwan and sending message to US and Japan

The joint exercise Strait Thunder-2025A ‘achieved its intended objectives’, according to a military spokesman

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Mainland Chinese ground forces conduct live-fire drills targeting simulated key infrastructure in the East China Sea on Wednesday, as part of continuing military exercises near Taiwan. Photo: CCTV

Published: 8:26am, 2 Apr 2025Updated: 9:07pm, 2 Apr 2025

Mainland Chinese ground forces wrapped up drills targeting mock ports and energy facilities in the East China Sea on Wednesday, as part of the PLA’s military exercises near Taiwan.

A military analyst said the exercises also carried a strategic message of deterrence for American and Japanese forces stationed in the Ryukyu Islands.

The precision-strike exercise “achieved its intended objectives”, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theatre Command, told state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday.

He added that the PLA had “successfully completed” various tasks during the exercises.

The long-range firepower drills marked a new phase in the joint operations launched on Tuesday, which have included land, sea, air and rocket forces in the Taiwan Strait and on the island’s eastern side.

Mainland military officials described the operation as a direct response to what they called escalating separatist activity from the Taiwanese leadership. The drills were aimed at strengthening strike capabilities and demonstrating Beijing’s resolve to deter independence moves, they said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Shi said the PLA was continuing its military exercises – code-named Strait Thunder-2025A – in the central and southern Taiwan Strait, with a focus on blockade enforcement.