For the first time, the PLA conducted joint operations that completely encircled Taiwan. The PLA Rocket Force launched 11  ballistic missiles, some flying over Taiwan and landing in waters to the island’s east. Several missiles reportedly fell within Japan’s exclusive economic zone.  

The PLA established six designated exclusion zones. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported 68  PLA aircraft and 13  PLA Navy vessels operating in the region. Of those aircraft, 49 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, far surpassing previous records.

The exercises focused on precision strikes and an aerial blockade of Taiwan. The PLA’s aircraft carrier Shandong operated off Taiwan’s southeastern coast, launching fighters and coordinating with destroyers that reportedly approached as close as 24 nautical miles from Taiwan’s shoreline.

On 10  April, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported a record-high number of PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan. A total of 91  aircraft and 12  vessels were detected, of which 54  aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or entered Taiwan’s ADIZ.

The exercise took place across the Taiwan Strait, around Taiwan proper, and in the vicinity of several outlying islands. For the first time, the exercise was accompanied by ‘comprehensive law enforcement operations’ conducted by the CCG around Taiwan’s offshore islands.

The PLA designated five exercise zones around Taiwan and four around outlying islands. The exercise reportedly included up to 111  aircraft and 46 naval vessels encircling Taiwan. Approximately 82  PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, some of them approaching as close as the 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone.

According to a PLA spokesperson, the exercise centred on joint sea–air combat patrols, the blockade and control of key ports, and simulated strikes on sea and land targets. The CCG again played a visible role, dispatching four flotillas to conduct ‘law enforcement patrols’ around Taiwan. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, operating as part of a carrier battle group, was deployed to the island’s east-southeast.

The PLA declared six exercise zones for Joint Sword 2024B. The zones overlapped with Taiwan’s contiguous zones, representing a notable escalation from earlier exercises. A record 153  PLA aircraft, 14 naval vessels, and 12 CCG ships were reported operating near Taiwan, in the highest single-day count of Chinese aircraft activity to date.

The exercise featured around 90 naval and coastguard vessels operating across an expansive area: waters around Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands, and sections of both the East and South China seas. This represented a significant geographical expansion compared with earlier drills, simulating operations to block foreign intervention across the First Island Chain and east of Taiwan.

The PLA announced seven restricted air space zones from 9 to 11  December, while simultaneously conducting operations around and east of the island. The exercise was reportedly the PRC’s largest maritime operation since the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis. The CCG again played a central role, with three vessels, including one of its largest, sailing east of Taiwan.

The exercise focused on regional control, blockade operations and precision strike scenarios. The CCG played an active role, conducting coordinated boarding and blockade operations. Analysts highlighted the emergence of a dual-layer ‘cabbage strategy’: an inner ring of maritime militia, CCG and PLA Navy forces encircling Taiwan, and an outer ring designed to harass foreign military forces seeking to intervene.

The PLA declared that Strait Thunder 2025A would take place in the middle and southern sea areas of the Taiwan Strait. The Shandong aircraft carrier group participated, manoeuvring within 24  nautical miles of Taiwan in its closest approach to date. In total, the PLA deployed 135  aircraft, 38 naval vessels and 12 official vessels, underscoring the growing scale and complexity of its joint-force operations.