“Justice Mission 2025” military exercises: PLA rehearses a Taiwan invasion amid accelerated U.S. military support

From December 29 to 31, 2025, the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) unannouncedly conducted military exercises Justice Mission 2025—the sixth maneuvers since 2022 aimed at practicing a scenario of total invasion of Taiwan and at the same time the largest among them.

Unlike the previous Joint Sword and Strait Thunder, the current exercises included a number of unprecedented tactical decisions.

In particular, the PRC significantly densified the encirclement chain, advancing much closer to the island of Taiwan; for the first time practiced a potential invasion simultaneously from three directions—from the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Philippine Sea; and also carried out a full-scale simulation of complete blocking of sea and air communications to the northern and southern ports of Taiwan.