China stages live-fire amphibious drills opposite Kinmen after Taiwan vote

Chinese state military television released footage showing amphibious armoured vehicles and landing operations by units identified as the People’s Liberation Army’s 31st Group Army, conducting live-fire exercises off the Fujian coast opposite the Taiwan-held island of Kinmen. The manoeuvres form part of a broader series the military has codenamed Justice Mission 2025 and were presented in state statements as a "shield of justice."

State statements and military social-media posts said the coordinated operations involved ground forces, naval vessels, aircraft and rocket forces. Visuals and briefings released by the PLA showed long-range rockets fired into waters north of Taiwan, bomber and fighter sorties at night, naval live-fire and anti-submarine activities, and amphibious armour rehearsing landings intended to simulate seizure of maritime and mobile ground targets. Chinese authorities said the drills also practised anti-air and anti-submarine operations and the sealing of key ports.

Beijing framed the exercises as punitive and defensive, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs describing them as a "punitive and deterrent action against separatist forces" and the Eastern Theater Command saying the drills achieved their intended results. Chinese coastguard notices and the Maritime Safety Administration issued navigational warnings, naming drills zones off Fujian including waters near the Pingtan islands and off Kinmen and telling ships to avoid those areas while live-fire was under way.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said it detected heavy, close-in activity and moved forces to high alert. Officials publicly tracked sorties and surface units, citing counts that varied by day: one tally reported 89 Chinese military aircraft and 28 warships and coastguard vessels operating near Taiwan, while earlier exercises produced a one-day high of as many as 153 aircraft and scores of navy and government ships. Taiwan said it deployed missile systems and other assets to monitor and deter incursions and described Beijing’s actions as a challenge to international norms and to civilian safety.

The drills followed Washington’s approval of a major arms sale to Taipei, reported at roughly $11 billion, which prompted diplomatic protests from Beijing and subsequent Chinese sanctions targeting some U.S. firms and individuals. Beijing’s announcement of sanctions on 30 U.S. firms and individuals, and the timing of Justice Mission 2025, underline the exercises’ role in a wider diplomatic and strategic contest over Taiwan and U.S.-China ties.

Civilian disruption was significant. Taiwan’s transport authorities warned that declared danger zones forced diversions of international and domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 passengers, and shipping notices warned commercial vessels to alter courses. The close juxtaposition of large-scale live-fire training to densely trafficked air and sea lanes raised concerns among regional partners about the risk of accidents or miscalculation.

Kinmen, a Taiwan-held archipelago located just kilometers from the mainland, carries particular symbolic weight in cross-strait relations. The decision to stage amphibious landings opposite the islands sends a pointed signal to Taipei while testing the operational readiness of PLA amphibious and combined-arms forces. For regional capitals and international maritime users, the exercises are a reminder that tactical drills can carry strategic consequences, compounding diplomatic disputes and complicating efforts to manage an already fraught cross-strait relationship.