The Chinese military staged a second day of exercises around Taiwan on Wednesday, launching live-fire strikes in the East China Sea and practicing blockade operations near crucial shipping lanes to the east and west of the island.
China has ramped up the frequency and complexity of its military drills around Taiwan in recent years โ exercises that analysts say serve both as critical preparation and strategic cover for a potential future invasion of the self-governing island.
On Wednesday, the Peopleโs Liberation Army (PLA) launched exercises โ codenamed โStrait Thunder-2025Aโ โ in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait, focusing on testing the troopsโ capabilities of โjoint blockade and controlโ and โprecision strikes on key targets,โ the Eastern Theater Commandโs spokesperson Senior Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement.
As part of the drills, the ground army of the Eastern Theater Command conducted โlive-fire long-range strike drills in designated areas of the East China Sea,โ Shi said.
Chinaโs military launches live-fire exercise in escalation of blockade drills near Taiwan https://t.co/iTEzQ2eMZi
— primenews (@primeNPU) April 2, 2025
