Photo credit: AP

China’s President Xi Jinping said that the “reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable” in his 2026 New Year message, delivered just hours after Beijing announced the conclusion of large-scale live-fire military drills around Taiwan.

Xi’s remarks came as China’s military said it had “successfully completed” exercises designed to simulate a blockade of the self-ruled island and strikes on maritime targets. While Xi did not mention Taiwan directly in his address, his language echoed long-standing claims over the island, which Beijing considers part of its territory despite never having ruled it.

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Xi also used the speech to frame 2025 as a landmark year, marking the completion of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

He said China’s economic strength, technological capabilities, defence capacity and overall national power had all reached “new heights”, adding that these developments were “rallying a mighty force for the great rejuvenation of our nation”.

Military pressure and Taiwan’s response

The drills, code-named “Justice Mission 2025”, involved missiles, fighter jets, bombers, navy ships and coastguard vessels operating around Taiwan over two days. China’s People’s Liberation Army said the exercises tested sea-air coordination, integrated blockade capabilities and joint strike operations, including live-fire training in waters north and south of the island.

Taiwan condemned the manoeuvres as “highly provocative and reckless”. Its defence ministry said some Chinese live rounds landed closer to the island than in previous exercises, with several rockets falling within Taiwan’s 24-nautical-mile zone. President Lai Ching-te warned that the drills were “not an isolated incident” and posed “significant risks” to regional stability, global shipping and trade.Taipei said Chinese warships and coastguard vessels began withdrawing on Wednesday, though Taiwan’s coastguard maintained deployments at sea, citing the need to remain vigilant.

Taiwanese authorities also reported major disruption to civil aviation, with hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled due to temporary danger zones declared during the drills.China accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of pursuing separatism and relying on foreign support, particularly arms sales from the United States. Beijing has vowed to seize the island by force if necessary and continues to send aircraft and naval vessels towards Taiwan on a near-daily basis.

International criticism and Beijing’s rebuttal

The exercises drew sharp criticism from several countries. Japan said the drills increased tensions across the Taiwan Strait, while Australia described them as “destabilising”. The Philippines said it was deeply concerned about actions that could undermine regional peace and stability.Beijing dismissed the criticism as “irresponsible”. Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused other countries of ignoring what he called separatist attempts in Taiwan while condemning China’s “necessary and just actions” to defend its sovereignty. He said such criticism distorted facts and was “utterly hypocritical”.