Military fans sighted Chinese warships in waters off Su'ao, Yilan County, Taiwan, less than 50 kilometers from shore during the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command's unannounced Justice Mission 2025 exercises launched December 29, according to a report shared between 8:17 p.m. and 8:47 p.m. UTC on December 30. The People's Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills on December 30, prompting Taiwan's National Army to deploy the Haifeng Brigade's Xiongfeng Missile Fleet in the eastern sea for monitoring, the report stated. China's People's Liberation Army has not announced the conclusion of the exercises as of 8:47 p.m. UTC on December 30, despite expired navigation warning zones, following a report from @TaiwanMonitor at 8:16 p.m. UTC. Taiwan's forces earlier deployed HF-2/3 anti-ship missiles at Hualien port and follow protocols for air alerts, per X posts by @stoa1984 and @JaimeOcon1 citing official statements in the prior reporting window. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated this morning that the drills punish 'Taiwan independence' forces relying on external support, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks.
