China Launches Military Drills Around Taiwan, Labels President Lai a “Parasite”
Beijing, April 1, 2025 – China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiated large-scale military exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday, encircling the self-governed island with naval, air, ground, and rocket forces in a provocative display of strength. The drills, announced by the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, come with a barrage of fiery rhetoric, branding Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a “parasite” and framing the maneuvers as a “stern warning” against Taiwan’s push for independence. The move escalates tensions in the Taiwan Strait, drawing sharp condemnation from Taipei and raising questions about Beijing’s intentions just months into U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term.
A Multi-Directional Show of Force
The exercises, launched without a formal codename, began early Tuesday and span Taiwan’s north, south, and east coasts, with forces practicing blockades, strikes on maritime and ground targets, and air interceptions. The PLA deployed 71 military aircraft, 13 warships, and four coast guard vessels, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, with 36 planes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line—an informal buffer breached with increasing frequency. The Shandong, China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, was spotted in the island’s response area since Monday, amplifying the operation’s scale.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, an Eastern Theater Command spokesperson, described the drills as a “forceful containment” of “Taiwan independence” forces, aimed at testing the PLA’s joint combat coordination. Accompanying the announcement, a propaganda video titled “Shell” depicted Lai as a green cartoon bug held by chopsticks over a burning Taiwan, with captions declaring, “Parasite poisoning Taiwan island. Parasite hollowing island out. Parasite courting ultimate destruction.” Another poster, “Closing In,” showed Chinese ships and jets encircling the island, reinforcing Beijing’s narrative of inevitable reunification.
Taiwan’s Defiant Response
Taiwan’s government swiftly denounced the drills as an “irrational provocation” threatening regional stability. President Lai’s office issued a statement calling China “widely recognized by the international community as a troublemaker,” asserting that only Taiwan’s 23 million people can determine their future. Defense Minister Wellington Koo, addressing the “parasite” label, shot back that Beijing’s rhetoric “fully demonstrates their provocative character,” urging the PLA to focus on its own corruption scandals—such as the ousting of ex-Defense Minister Li Shangfu in 2024—rather than menacing neighbors.
By 3:30 p.m. local time, Taiwan had mobilized aircraft, naval ships, and land-based missile systems to monitor and counter the Chinese presence. Two senior Taiwanese officials told Reuters that over 10 PLA ships approached within Taiwan’s 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone, prompting a warship response. Despite the tension, no live fire was reported, and Taiwan’s stock market shrugged off the escalation, closing up 2.8%.
A Geopolitical Flashpoint
The drills follow a spike in Chinese rhetoric after Lai’s February speech labeling Beijing a “foreign hostile force” and proposing 17 measures to bolster Taiwan’s defenses. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory, views Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party as separatists bent on formal independence—a red line it has vowed to crush, by force if needed. The exercises also come days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Asia tour, where he criticized China’s regional aggression and reaffirmed ties with Japan and the Philippines, calling Japan “indispensable” in countering Beijing.
Analysts see the timing as strategic. A senior Taiwanese security official suggested to Reuters that China aimed to avoid direct confrontation with Washington ahead of U.S.-China trade talks, using Taiwan as a “pretext” to flex its muscles post-Hegseth’s visit. Posts on X speculate the drills test U.S. resolve under Trump, whose “America First” stance has left allies guessing about his Taiwan policy—ranging from hardened support to potential deal-making with Beijing.
Propaganda and Normalization
China’s military framed the exercises as routine, with the Global Times citing National Defense University’s Zhang Chi: “Surrounding the island has become a normal practice.” The PLA unleashed a propaganda blitz, including videos like “Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evils,” featuring the mythical Monkey King, and images of Taipei under imagined assault. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun doubled down, declaring at a Tuesday briefing, “China’s reunification is an unstoppable trend—it will happen, and it must happen.”
The lack of a codename, unlike past operations like Joint Sword 2024-B, underscores Beijing’s narrative that such drills are now “everyday business,” a shift from their once-sporadic nature. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian called them a “resolute punishment” for Lai’s “reckless provocations,” warning that pursuing independence “means pushing the people of Taiwan into a dangerous situation of war.”
Global Echoes and Local Stakes
The international community is watching closely. While Trump’s administration has yet to comment, Hegseth’s recent pledges of “credible deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific loom large. Taiwan, bolstered by U.S. arms sales and a revitalized defense industry, remains defiant, though its 76-year split from China grows ever more precarious amid Beijing’s pressure campaign.
For now, the drills signal China’s intent to keep Taiwan on edge—psychologically and militarily—while testing the boundaries of U.S. and allied responses. As the PLA “closes in,” the question lingers: is this another loud warning, or a prelude to something more? In Taipei, resilience holds, but the shadow of the “parasite” taunt looms over a strait teetering on the brink.
