Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers fire a rocket into the air as they conduct military drills on Pingtan island, in eastern China’s Fujian province, the closest point to Taiwan, on Dec. 30, 2025. Adek Berry/ AFP via Getty Images
Beijing’s latest military encirclement demonstrates a growing capability to choke off Taiwan, a move experts say is backfiring by pushing the United States to offer the island nation stronger security guarantees.
China’s Ministry of National Defense said it had completed its drills surrounding the island, describing them as a test of the troops’ integrated joint operations capabilities, in a statement released on Dec. 31.
