Smoke rises from a weapon on a ship after it was fired during drills east of Taiwan, in this screenshot from a video released by the Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Dec. 29, 2025. Eastern Theatre Command/Handout via Reuters
TAIPEI, Taiwan—The Chinese communist regime launched a new round of military exercises encircling Taiwan on Dec. 29, less than two weeks after Washington announced a record $11.1 billion in arms sales to the island.
The Eastern Theater Command conducted drills across waters and airspace in the Taiwan Strait and north, east, southwest, and southeast of Taiwan. It deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles, amphibious assault ships, and long-range rockets for live firing and simulated strikes against maritime and mobile ground targets.
