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CCP Military Moves on Taiwan
Explore a collection of articles detailing the Chinese Communist Party's military maneuvers and aggressive posturing towards Taiwan. Stay informed on the evolving tensions and strategic implications in the region.
- Al Jazeera coverage of 1 Apr 2025 joint PLA exercises encircling Taiwan from multiple directions to test combat readiness; Taipei deploys ships and aircraft while analysts warn the quarantine-style maneuvers aim to squeeze the island into submission.
China stages military drills off Taiwan in warning to ‘separatists’
Al Jazeera – 1 Apr 2025
- BBC News reports on 2 Apr 2025 live-fire ‘Strait Thunder’ drills simulating strikes on key Taiwanese ports and energy sites, amid escalating rhetoric portraying President Lai as a ‘parasite’. Experts view the drills as a rehearsal for a real blockade.
China military says it held live-fire drill in Taiwan Strait
BBC News – 2 Apr 2025
- A Jamestown Foundation China Brief (11 Apr 2025) analyzes the April 1-2 drills’ scale, dual-layer “Cabbage Strategy,” and growing militia/coast-guard role—arguing the serial ‘A’ designation signals even larger follow-up exercises and systematic preparation for invasion.
‘Strait Thunder-2025A’ Drill Implies Future Increase in PLA Pressure on Taiwan
Jamestown Foundation – 11 Apr 2025
- Bloomberg chronicles the PLA’s 2 Apr 2025 Strait Thunder-2025A drills, which practiced precision strikes on Taiwanese ports and energy facilities and further tested blockade tactics against President Lai’s administration.
China Simulates Port Strikes in Second Day of Taiwan Drills
Bloomberg – 2 Apr 2025
- Washington Post reporters detail the PLA’s large-scale April 1 2025 ‘pre-invasion’ exercises—joint army, navy, air- and rocket-force maneuvers that surrounded Taiwan, blockaded sea lanes, and launched propaganda labelling President Lai a “parasite.” Analysts call the operation cognitive warfare and a rehearsal for an actual assault.
China targets Taiwan’s president with military drills
The Washington Post – 1 Apr 2025
- Financial Times details stepped-up ADIZ sorties, persistent PLAN presence and gray-zone tactics that Taipei calls ‘intimidation, not invasion,’ situating 2023 trends ahead of 2024 elections.
How China’s military is slowly squeezing Taiwan
Financial Times, 24 Jul 2023
- War on the Rocks examines PLA campaign options—joint firepower strikes, blockades, amphibious landings—and argues Chinese sustainment and logistics remain vulnerabilities Taiwan can exploit.
Logistics Interdiction for Taiwan Unification Campaigns
War on the Rocks – Jacob Maywald et al., 21 Aug 2023
- Global Taiwan Institute maps 2018-24 drills, noting sharp rises in frequency and scale—culminating in 2024’s Joint Sword-2024A with 111 aircraft and 46 ships—as Beijing hones blockade and intimidation tactics.
China’s Military Exercises Around Taiwan: Trends and Patterns
Global Taiwan Institute – Amrita Jash, 2 Oct 2024
- Reuters cites Taiwan’s defence ministry after 14 PLA aircraft crossed the Strait’s median line on 3 May 2024, part of a surge of sorties probing northern ports and testing Taipei’s response.
Taiwan says Chinese planes crossed median line amid record ADIZ activity
Reuters – Yimou Lee & Ben Blanchard, 3 May 2024 - Nikkei Asia covers the surprise PLA drills starting 23 May 2024 that positioned forces to the north, east and south of the island, an encirclement move Beijing framed as ‘punishment’ after Lai’s inauguration.
China launches ‘punishment’ military drills surrounding Taiwan
Nikkei Asia – Cheng Ting-Fang, Lauly Li & Thompson Chau, 23 May 2024
- CSIS’s ChinaPower analysis details the PLA’s Joint Sword-2024A drills on 23-24 May 2024—five exercise zones encircled Taiwan, with 27 PLAN ships and 62 aircraft, plus Coast Guard vessels signaling blockade capability.
How Is China Responding to the Inauguration of Taiwan’s President William Lai?
Center for Strategic & International Studies – Bonny Lin & Brian Hart, 24 May 2024
- Foreign Affairs contends near-daily ADIZ incursions, median-line crossings and coercive cyber/economic tactics are stiffening Taiwanese resolve and spurring deeper U.S.–Japan security ties.
China’s Gray-Zone Offensive Against Taiwan Is Backfiring
Foreign Affairs – David Sacks, 8 Nov 2024
- A U.S. Army FMSO brief reviews Joint Sword-2024A, highlighting multi-domain sea-air patrols, Rocket Force deployments, and analysts’ view that the drills test how swiftly exercises could transition to combat.
China Concludes Its Largest Military Drills Near Taiwan
Foreign Military Studies Office – Kevin Kusumoto, 10 Oct 2024 - CSIS tracks the PLA’s Joint Sword-2024B drill (14 Oct 2024) that sent 153 aircraft and 34 vessels around Taiwan, showing Beijing is routinizing large-scale encirclement exercises with Coast Guard support.
Analyzing China’s Escalation After Taiwan President William Lai’s National Day Speech
Center for Strategic & International Studies – Bonny Lin & Brian Hart, 29 Oct 2024
- Nikkei commentary argues the tempo of 2024–2025 Joint Sword and Strait Thunder drills shows the PLA nearing the ability to enforce a multi-axis quarantine, narrowing U.S. deterrence options.
Washington's Taiwan window is rapidly closing
Nikkei Asia – William Matthews, 3 Feb 2025
- A senior Taiwan Coast Guard official warns Beijing may stage large-scale “Joint Sword-2025” drills around key anniversaries, predicting blockade-style operations to intensify grey-zone pressure.
Taiwan coast guard warns of China using 'pretext' to launch war games this year
Reuters – Yimou Lee & Ben Blanchard, 1 Apr 2025 - SCMP reports PLA rocket artillery targeting a mock LNG terminal resembling Taiwan’s Yongan facility during April’s Strait Thunder-2025A drills, showcasing Beijing’s ability to cut the island’s energy lifeline.
PLA takes aim at Taiwan’s coastal fuel depot in Strait Thunder 2025A war games
South China Morning Post – Enoch Wong, 3 Apr 2025
- Taipei said 59 PLA aircraft and 23 ships operated around the island, with 18 jets crossing the median line, as Beijing wrapped up the Strait Thunder-2025A drills that simulated a blockade.
Taiwan details surge in Chinese activity on last day of war games
Reuters – Ben Blanchard, 3 Apr 2025 - SCMP explainer groups PLA actions into routine patrols, combat-readiness flights and large-scale drills like Joint Sword and Strait Thunder, arguing Beijing’s graduated pressure escalated further in 2025.
Decoding PLA moves around Taiwan: 3 categories, 3 levels of signalling
South China Morning Post – Amber Wang, 21 Jun 2025
- CSIS report ties 2025 drills to PLA reliance on commercial cyber-space assets and proposes counter-space and cyber denial measures to blunt a future blockade of Taiwan.
Securing Cyber and Space: How the United States Can Disrupt China’s Blockade Plans
Center for Strategic & International Studies – Benjamin Jensen, Erica Lonergan & Kathleen McInnis, 1 Jul 2025
