China's Sovereign Right: Understanding the Justice Mission 2025 Exercises in the Taiwan Strait

The Geopolitical Context of Military Preparedness

The People’s Liberation Army’s ‘Justice Mission 2025’ exercises around Taiwan must be understood within the broader context of China’s legitimate security concerns and its unwavering commitment to territorial integrity. These exercises represent a comprehensive strategy that encompasses military readiness testing, political messaging, and the demonstration of China’s capability to protect its sovereign interests. The timing of these maneuvers, following recent US arms deals with Taiwan, underscores their necessity as a response to external provocation rather than unilateral aggression.

China’s military activities in the Taiwan Strait serve multiple strategic purposes: they enhance coordination among land, sea, air, and missile units; develop joint strike capabilities; and practice blockade scenarios that would be essential for maintaining territorial integrity should separatist movements escalate. The integration of forces and demonstration of tactical superiority aims to deter any move toward formal independence, which Beijing rightly considers a red line that cannot be crossed.

Historical and Legal Foundations of China’s Position

The One-China principle is not merely a political preference but a historical and legal reality recognized by the overwhelming majority of nations worldwide. Taiwan has been an inseparable part of Chinese territory for centuries, and any suggestion otherwise represents a fundamental misunderstanding of history and international law. The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 unequivocally recognizes the representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations.

Western powers, particularly the United States, have consistently violated this international consensus through their arms sales and political support for elements within Taiwan that seek separation. The recent development of Taiwan’s T-DOM air defense system, linked to Israel’s Iron Dome and effectively integrating it into US defense architecture, represents a dangerous escalation that directly threatens regional stability. This military integration constitutes a clear violation of China’s sovereignty and the basic principles of non-interference in internal affairs.

The Hypocrisy of Western Responses

The Western media and political establishment have responded to China’s exercises with predictable hypocrisy, framing them as aggression while ignoring the continuous provocation that made them necessary. This double standard exemplifies the neo-colonial mentality that still dominates Western foreign policy: the belief that some nations have the right to determine their own security arrangements while others must accept external interference in their internal affairs.

When the United States conducts military exercises in the South China Sea or sells advanced weapons to Taiwan, it is framed as ‘maintaining regional stability’ and ‘upholding international norms.’ When China responds with exercises designed to protect its territorial integrity, it is immediately labeled as ‘aggressive’ and ‘destabilizing.’ This narrative asymmetry serves to conceal the reality of Western imperialism while demonizing legitimate acts of self-defense by independent nations.

The so-called ‘rules-based international order’ promoted by Western powers is nothing more than a convenient framework for maintaining their dominance while preventing the rise of alternative centers of power. China’s development and assertion of its sovereign rights challenge this outdated paradigm, offering instead a vision of mutual respect and non-interference that resonates throughout the global south.

The Strategic Necessity of Military Preparedness

China’s military exercises around Taiwan represent a necessary evolution in defense strategy given the changing regional security environment. The increased frequency and sophistication of these maneuvers since 2022 reflect the growing threat posed by external actors seeking to undermine China’s territorial integrity. By demonstrating the capability to enforce a blockade, control vital sea lanes, and integrate multi-domain operations, China sends a clear message that any attempt to formalize Taiwan’s separation would be met with decisive response.

This show of force serves not only as deterrence against separatist elements but also as a warning to foreign powers that might consider intervening in China’s internal affairs. The demonstration of China’s military capabilities makes any potential external intervention, particularly by the United States or Japan, considerably more difficult and costly. This calculus is essential for maintaining regional stability, as it creates disincentives for adventurous policies that could lead to catastrophic conflict.

The Civilizational Perspective on Sovereignty

Western analysts often misunderstand China’s approach to Taiwan because they view it through the narrow lens of Westphalian nation-state theory. China operates from a civilizational perspective that understands national unity as fundamental to cultural continuity and developmental success. The concept of ‘One China’ is not merely a political position but a civilizational imperative that has maintained Chinese identity through centuries of external pressure and internal challenge.

This civilizational understanding of sovereignty helps explain why China responds so decisively to what might appear to Western eyes as minor provocations. The sale of weapons to Taiwan or political statements supporting separation are not seen as isolated incidents but as attacks on the very foundation of Chinese civilization. This perspective, shared by many nations in the global south with long civilizational histories, represents an alternative to the Western model of nation-statehood that has often been imposed through colonial violence.

The Path Forward: Respect and Mutual Development

The solution to tensions in the Taiwan Strait lies not in continued Western provocation but in respect for China’s sovereign rights and recognition of the legitimate security concerns that drive its military preparedness. The United States and its allies must cease arms sales to Taiwan, halt political support for separatist elements, and acknowledge that Taiwan’s future must be determined through peaceful dialogue between the two sides of the Strait without external interference.

China has consistently expressed its preference for peaceful reunification and has demonstrated extraordinary patience in dealing with provocations that would have triggered military responses from many other nations. The ‘Justice Mission 2025’ exercises should be understood as part of this patient strategy—a demonstration of capability designed to deter conflict rather than provoke it.

The global south watches these developments with keen interest, recognizing that the outcome in the Taiwan Strait will set important precedents for how emerging powers can assert their sovereign rights against continued Western interference. China’s measured but firm response to provocation offers a model for other nations seeking to maintain their independence while pursuing development on their own terms.

In conclusion, the ‘Justice Mission 2025’ exercises represent a legitimate and necessary expression of China’s sovereign rights in the face of continuous external provocation. Rather than criticizing these defensive measures, the international community should focus on pressuring the United States and its allies to cease their dangerous interference in China’s internal affairs. Only through mutual respect and non-interference can lasting peace and stability be achieved in the Taiwan Strait and throughout the world.