Taiwan's military confirmed that China's People's Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills in waters north of Taiwan on Tuesday morning, December 30, according to an X post by @TaiwanMonitor shared by @JaimeOcon1 between 4:45 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. UTC. The confirmation comes during the second day of China's 'Justice Mission 2025' exercises around Taiwan, involving patrols and simulated operations north and south of the island, as announced by China's Eastern Theater Command and reported by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration in prior statements. Taiwan Coast Guard ship Taoyuan has maintained 24-hour patrols to block Chinese vessels amid these activities, with footage of close encounters released earlier on Dec. 30, per @TaiwanMonitor. The development follows President Donald Trump's remarks earlier on Dec. 30 stating that similar Chinese naval exercises have occurred around Taiwan for 20 years, according to an X post by @Acyn.
