China Practices Taiwan Blockade in “Just Mission 2025” Military Exercises

People’s Liberation Army of China’s Eastern Theater Command have launched military exercises “Just Mission 2025” around Taiwan, the command’s spokesperson Shi Yi said.

The drills involve naval, air, missile, and electronic warfare elements and are being conducted as a joint, multi-service operation, according to China Radio International.

Media outlets, including Bloomberg, have published maps of restricted zones around Taiwan based on NOTAM data. These maps show a shift in China’s approach — from isolated shows of force in 2022 to tight operational coverage of the island in 2025.

In 2022, Beijing used military activity mainly to send a political message following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. In 2024, during the Joint Sword exercise series, China practiced coordinated operations involving naval, air, and missile forces.

The current phase of “Just Mission 2025” appears to be a rehearsal for a standard operation to control Taiwan’s surrounding sea and airspace.

Rather than a traditional amphibious landing, it represents a multidomain blockade combining maritime, air, electronic and missile elements as part of an A2/AD strategy.

The key change is normalization: what was perceived as a crisis in 2022 is now presented as routine military activity.

Formally, these actions do not constitute a war or a blockade; however, in practice they establish a regime of environmental control around Taiwan and narrow the “window of response” for the United States and its allies.

Although these are still exercises rather than an order to begin combat operations, their format indicates China’s systemic preparation for a controlled, multidomain blockade as a real military and political option.

Previous reports in early December noted that China could transfer up to 300,000 troops to Taiwan within 10 days.