China plants the red flag.

Twelve days after the United States announced an $11 billion arms deal with Taiwan, China launched an intimidating military exercise around the island, with a coordinated deployment of ground, naval, air, and rocket forces that broke with the logic of symbolic demonstrations in the strait. The operation, dubbed "Mission Justice 2025," was publicly presented as a "stern warning" to separatist groups seeking Taipei's independence and to external interference—namely the United States and Japan—but its scope, synchronization, and the use of live fire in some simulations revealed that Beijing is prepared to escalate if anyone dares to cross, even by half a step, the red line of the "one China principle."

The military operation — unexpected for some, predictable for others — lasted two days and included maritime-air combat readiness patrols, blockades of ports and key areas, ship and aircraft approaches, joint assaults by troops from multiple services, and live-fire attack simulations, repeatedly reported Li Xi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater of Operations Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Professor Zhang Chi of the National Defense University highlighted the strategic value of the live-fire exercises because, as he explained, they combined the power of naval guns, long-range rockets, and conventional missiles; attacked essential energy transport and blockaded key ports and military bases; and allowed for multidirectional guidance by encircling the island from north to south and from west to east.

“This demonstrates our ability to act at any time. Through live fire and joint strikes, we will completely cut off their power lines, supply lines, and escape routes, crushing their delusions and conspiracies of 'using force to resist reunification' and 'relying on external forces to seek independence',” Zhang stated in remarks to [source missing]. Global Times.

In this context, and as the second day of the operation unfolded, the Chinese government not only claimed responsibility for the military exercises but also redoubled its warnings about the "firm countermeasures" it will adopt from now on in response to the "provocations" of Taiwanese separatist forces and what it considers "intolerable" maneuvers from abroad.

“The Taiwan issue is an internal matter for China and is at the core of our interests, which is why we firmly oppose any attempt to advance its independence or strengthen its military capabilities with external support. US arms sales fuel tensions and constitute interference in the country's internal affairs,” stated Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Wang was referring to the U.S. State Department's decision, on December 17th, to approve an arms package for Taiwan valued at approximately US$11 billion. The "contribution" included HIMARS artillery rocket systems, ATACMS missiles, M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, ALTIUS tactical drones, Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles, military software, networks and tactical mission systems, as well as spare parts and logistical support, according to documents from the... Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).

The measure was not an isolated event. Between 2020 and 2022, Taiwan was the largest buyer of weapons from the United States, and in 2024, the island's military budget nearly doubled compared to 2016. The projection for 2026 is that it will represent 3,32% of its regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is a record since 2009, according to a Xinhua report.

"US arms sales to Taiwan," the official news agency assessed, "do not offer a protective shield for the island; they serve only as an ATM for American arms dealers."

Beyond the magnitude of what was considered the largest sale of its kind from Washington to Taipei, the United States was not the only one criticizing Beijing. "Mission Justice 2025" was also seen as an indirect message to Japan's new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who last month angered the Chinese government by suggesting that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the Taiwan conflict.

"Japan, which launched a war of aggression against China, not only does not reflect on the numerous crimes it has committed, but its current leaders also openly challenge China's territorial sovereignty, the historical conclusions of World War II, and the postwar international order," stated the Chinese Foreign Minister.

Da Bloomberg to the agency Associated Press and to the Japanese newspaper Asahi ShimbunThere was a clear convergence of information regarding which countries China classified as "external interference," adding to a widespread dissemination of international questioning of the operation in the West.

The current president of the United States, Donald Trump, downplayed the episode and maintained that China has been conducting this type of exercise "for 20 or 25 years"; Taiwan denounced a military intimidation that jeopardizes regional stability; Japan spoke of a dangerous act that increases tensions and destabilizes security in the strait; and the European Union (EU) also considered that international peace and stability were put at risk.

The official Chinese response, released near the end of 2025, described these comments as "irresponsible" and "hypocritical," while highlighting the support for military exercises from countries such as Russia, Cuba, Serbia, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and Pakistan, among others.

A separate paragraph is warranted for the reaction of the Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom, which not only condemned British calls for "moderation" but also accused London of manipulating the truth and interfering in matters that do not concern it. "Taiwan is a Chinese province, and the PLA exercises were a deterrent action against separatism and foreign interference," stated the diplomatic representation, in a definition of sovereignty and territory difficult to ignore in Argentina, given the historical similarities that permeate the claims to the Falkland Islands and Taiwan.

Confucius taught that governing is, above all, ordering the world without needing to raise one's voice. But when that patience runs out, another tradition comes into play: that of Sun Tzu, for whom the best battle is the one won before it begins. Aware of these issues, President Xi Jinping used his 2026 New Year's message to remind friends and adversaries alike that the Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are united by blood and kinship. "The reunification of our homeland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable," were his final words.