Taiwan's Republic of China Armed Forces conducted rapid response exercises and closely monitored People's Liberation Army aircraft and naval activity around the island on December 29, 2025, while maintaining joint sea and air operations on high alert with all services and the Taiwan Coast Guard, according to a statement from the Ministry of National Defense posted between 6:46 p.m. and 8:16 p.m. UTC. The exercises were conducted in direct response to today's PLA activities, as stated by the Ministry of National Defense on X, with forces remaining on full awareness during this period. This response follows earlier reports from Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense of 89 Chinese aircraft and 28 naval vessels detected around Taiwan on December 29, which prompted the establishment of a response center and deployment of forces, according to @TaiwanMonitor and prior ministry updates. Over the past few hours, the PLA Eastern Theater Command has been conducting the 'Correct Mission-2025' or 'Justice Mission 2025' exercises, including vessel positioning visualized in operational maps published by @TaiwanMonitor using ministry data released earlier today.
