US Condemns China’s ‘Justice Mission’ Blockade Drills as 2026 Tensions Mount

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department has issued a sharp rebuke of Beijing’s latest military maneuvers near Taiwan, characterizing the operations as "unnecessarily provocative" and "irresponsible." The statement serves as Washington's first official response to the conclusion of "Justice Mission 2025," a heightened series of People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills that have raised alarm over China's readiness to execute a blockade or offensive operations early this year.

The State Department's intervention highlights growing friction in the Taiwan Strait just days into 2026. While U.S. officials reiterated that their commitment to Taiwan remains "rock solid," the specific nature of the recent PLA activity has drawn intense scrutiny from defense analysts assessing the likelihood of a cross-strait conflict before June.

Drills Simulated Full Blockade The "Justice Mission 2025" exercises, which ran from December 29 through December 31, marked a significant departure from routine sorties. Unlike previous maneuvers, the Eastern Theater Command explicitly focused on "integrated joint operations" designed to seize control of maritime and air domains.

Crucially, the drills simulated a blockade of Taiwan’s key ports—a scenario closely watched by observers tracking the probability of a de facto strangulation of the island's economy by mid-2026. During the height of the operation, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) detected a record 130 Chinese military aircraft and 14 naval vessels operating around the island in a single 24-hour period.

While no direct military clash occurred—keeping the event below the threshold of an active conflict or enforced blockade—the exercises featured live-fire zones overlapping with Taiwan’s contiguous waters, bringing PLA assets closer to the main island than in previous major crises.

Catalyst and Reaction Beijing framed the exercises as a "stern warning" against "separatist acts" and "external intervention." The mobilization is widely viewed as a direct response to the United States' approval of a record $11.1 billion arms sales package to Taiwan in mid-December 2025.

Despite the conclusion of the drills on New Year's Eve, Taiwan’s military remains on high alert. The MND, which deployed anti-ship missile systems in response to the incursions, condemned the PLA's actions as "irrational provocations."

The State Department emphasized that it opposes any unilateral change to the status quo by force. However, the scale and specificity of the "Justice Mission" drills suggest the PLA is actively refining the "sea-air coordination" capabilities required to cut off foreign commercial access to Taiwan, a move that would fundamentally alter the security landscape in the Pacific.