Amid tensions between China and Taiwan, the US State Department on Thursday (Jan 1) called Beijing’s military drills in the region increasing tensions “unnecessarily”, urging it to “cease its military pressure.” This comes after China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels as part of a two-day military exercise around Taiwan, saying the drills simulated a blockade of main Taiwanese ports. The actions have been condemned by Taipei as “highly provocative.” The Chinese manoeuvres began 11 days after the United States had announced a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan.“China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily. We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue,” US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.&nbsp;“The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion,” he added.Meanwhile, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday (Jan 1) that the island is determined to defend its sovereignty and boost its defence.&nbsp;“As president, my stance has always been clear: to resolutely defend national sovereignty and strengthen national defence,” Lai said.<h2>Taiwan welcomes US concern</h2>In a statement, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said, “FM Lin Chia-lung welcomes U.S. concern over PRC actions, including PLA provocations around Taiwan, that threaten the status quo, maritime security &amp; freedom of navigation. Taiwan stands firmly with allies &amp; partners to safeguard a free &amp; open Indo-Pacific.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FM Lin Chia-lung welcomes U.S. 🇺🇸 concern over PRC actions, including PLA provocations around <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taiwan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taiwan</a>🇹🇼, that threaten the status quo, maritime security &amp; freedom of navigation. Taiwan stands firmly with allies &amp; partners to safeguard a free &amp; open Indo-Pacific. <a href="https://t.co/fLcGDjPKf5">https://t.co/fLcGDjPKf5</a> <a href="https://t.co/gPDn3C6Nnm">pic.twitter.com/gPDn3C6Nnm</a>&mdash; 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MOFA_Taiwan/status/2006985087683039671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>China warns, ‘stop stirring up trouble’</h2>Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has suggested using force to seize the island democracy. On Friday, China again defended drills as “legitimate”, warning countries to “stop stirring up trouble on the Taiwan Strait issue.”“We urge relevant countries and institutions to strictly abide by the one-China principle,” a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said in a statement in response to calls for restraint.Earlier on Monday (Dec 29), US President Donald Trump said that he is not worried about China conducting military drills near Taiwan.“I have a great relationship with President Xi [Jinping], and he hasn't told me anything about [the drills]. I certainly have seen it,” Trump said. “No, nothing worries me. They’ve been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.”“I don’t believe he’s going to be doing it,” Trump said refering to a possible invasion of Taiwan.Announcing the military activities, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said that it was “employing destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles” during the drill code-named ‘Justice Mission 2025’, which includes “live-fire training on maritime targets to the north and southwest of Taiwan.”&nbsp;

This comes after China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels as part of a two-day military exercise around Taiwan, saying the drills simulated a blockade of main Taiwanese ports.

Amid tensions between China and Taiwan, the US State Department on Thursday (Jan 1) called Beijing’s military drills in the region increasing tensions “unnecessarily”, urging it to “cease its military pressure.” This comes after China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels as part of a two-day military exercise around Taiwan, saying the drills simulated a blockade of main Taiwanese ports. The actions have been condemned by Taipei as “highly provocative.” The Chinese manoeuvres began 11 days after the United States had announced a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. “China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily. We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue,” US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion,” he added. Meanwhile, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday (Jan 1) that the island is determined to defend its sovereignty and boost its defence. “As president, my stance has always been clear: to resolutely defend national sovereignty and strengthen national defence,” Lai said. Taiwan welcomes US concern In a statement, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said, “FM Lin Chia-lung welcomes U.S. concern over PRC actions, including PLA provocations around Taiwan, that threaten the status quo, maritime security & freedom of navigation. Taiwan stands firmly with allies & partners to safeguard a free & open Indo-Pacific.”

This comes after China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels as part of a two-day military exercise around Taiwan, saying the drills simulated a blockade of main Taiwanese ports.

‘Cease military pressure’: US urges restraint, calls China’s military drills near Taiwan ‘unnecessary’

In his annual New Year’s Eve speech in Beijing, China’s president, Xi Jinping, on Wednesday vowed to reunify China and Taiwan. Speaking a day after intense Chinese military drills around Taiwan concluded, Xi said, “The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.” China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, as part of its territory and has long vowed to annex it, using force if necessary. In his annual televised New Year’s speech, Xi also hailed the advancements in AI, chip development, aerospace, and military technology and urged the country to intensify efforts to boost economic growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Chinese President Xi Jinping said Taiwan&#39;s unification with China is &quot;unstoppable&quot; in his New Year&#39;s Eve speech. Taiwan strongly rejects Beijing&#39;s territorial claims. <a href="https://t.co/IszewsHSh6">pic.twitter.com/IszewsHSh6</a>&mdash; TaiwanPlus News (@taiwanplusnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/taiwanplusnews/status/2006364857805983876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;US intelligence is increasingly concerned about the advancing capabilities of China’s armed forces to launch such an attack if Xi so decides.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mali-and-burkina-faso-retaliate-to-trump-s-action-ban-entry-for-us-citizens-1767187487091">Mali and Burkina Faso retaliate to Trump’s action, ban entry for US citizens</a><h2>’Justice Mission 2025’ drills came closer to Taiwan</h2>&nbsp;On Monday and Tuesday, China’s People’s Liberation Army launched live-fire military drills around Taiwan, simulating a blockade of main ports and sending its navy, air force, rocket force, and coast guard to encircle Taiwan’s main island. The drills, called “Justice Mission 2025”, came closer to Taiwan than previous exercises and involved at least 89 warplanes, the highest tally for more than a year.&nbsp;The drills, though expected by analysts, were connected by Chinese commentators to a recent arms approval by the US government for a record $11 billion weapons sale to Taiwan.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/drdo-successfully-conducts-salvo-launch-of-indigenously-developed-pralay-missiles-off-odisha-coast-1767182736639">DRDO successfully conducts salvo launch of indigenously developed Pralay missiles off Odisha coast</a><h2>‘China embraced the world with open arms’</h2>&nbsp;Xi said China “embraced the world with open arms” and highlighted several multilateral conferences hosted by Beijing this year, including the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in August, when world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, gathered in Tianjin, a port city near Beijing.&nbsp;The broadcast of Xi’s speech on Chinese state media was interspersed with several shots of China’s largest-ever military parade, which was held in September to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War. During the parade, which was viewed as an unbridled display of military force, Xi, Putin, and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, stood side by side in Beijing—a geopolitical alignment being termed the “axis of upheaval.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/yearender-2025-pm-modi-s-foreign-visits-redefine-india-s-global-outreach-and-influence-1766919586333">Yearender 2025: PM Modi’s foreign visits redefine India’s global outreach and influence</a>&nbsp;In his speech, Xi also highlighted “Taiwan Retrocession Day”, a memorial day initiated in 2025 to mark the anniversary of the end of Japanese imperial rule in Taiwan in 1945. This year, Taiwan also passed a law to recognise the date, 25 October, as a national holiday.&nbsp;The legacy of the Second World War has been a big theme in political rhetoric in China and Taiwan this year.China emphasises its role in defeating the Japanese in that conflict, which it also feels has been underappreciated in the West.&nbsp;Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, also delivered a punchy speech comparing Taiwan to European democracies in the 1930s that faced a threat from Nazi Germany.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/yearender-2025-the-year-of-wars-tariff-turmoil-and-climate-disasters-1766568207775">Yearender 2025: The year of wars, tariff turmoil, and climate disasters</a><h2>Xi hails progress in hi-tech development</h2>&nbsp;Xi also praised China’s progress in hi-tech development this year, mentioning the kickboxing robots and Tianwen-2, a comet exploration mission. He also flagged the global success of Chinese cultural exports, such as the video game Black Myth: Wukong and the animated film Ne Zha 2.Earlier in the day, Xi addressed a meeting of top Chinese Communist Party officials and said that China was on track to meet its 5% GDP growth target.&nbsp;Beijing also faces significant economic challenges, and the coming years are critical for it in consolidating its position in the world order amidst its rivalry with Washington.&nbsp;

Beijing also faces significant economic challenges, and the coming years are critical for it in consolidating its position in the world order amidst its rivalry with Washington.

In his annual New Year’s Eve speech in Beijing, China’s president, Xi Jinping, on Wednesday vowed to reunify China and Taiwan. Speaking a day after intense Chinese military drills around Taiwan concluded, Xi said, “The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.” China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, as part of its territory and has long vowed to annex it, using force if necessary. In his annual televised New Year’s speech, Xi also hailed the advancements in AI, chip development, aerospace, and military technology and urged the country to intensify efforts to boost economic growth.

Beijing also faces significant economic challenges, and the coming years are critical for it in consolidating its position in the world order amidst its rivalry with Washington.

Xi Jinping vows to reunify China and Taiwan, urges for growth in New Year’s Eve speech

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‘Cease military pressure’: US urges restraint, calls China’s military drills near Taiwan ‘unnecessary’

Xi Jinping vows to reunify China and Taiwan in annual New Year’s Eve speech