TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Scholars believe that China’s military exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday were intended for the US.  

Tamkang University Assistant Professor Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑) said on Wednesday the US was the prime target of the People’s Liberation Army’s show of force, CNA reported. Lin pointed out that China launched the drills immediately after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth departed Japan.

The PLA launched joint army, navy, and rocket force exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday. China said the drills focused on sea-air combat-readiness patrols, seizure of comprehensive control, strikes on maritime and land targets, and blockades. The exercises come two days after Hegseth met with Japan Defense Minister Nakatani Gen in Tokyo to discuss security cooperation. 

Both sides pledged to strengthen deterrence capabilities to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and opposed unilateral attempts to change the status quo, according to a meeting summary.

The timing of the drills demonstrates that Beijing is testing US President Donald Trump’s administration, Lin said. "China wants to use these drills to test US red lines ahead of the Trump-Xi summit," he added.

Institute of National Defense and Security Research Director Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) echoed Lin, saying China’s drills were meant to express its discontent with the recent internal guidance memo revealing Washington’s prioritization of deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and strengthening homeland defense. It was not an immediate military response against Taiwan, Su said, per CNA.

Nevertheless, the PLA's increasingly unpredictable drill announcements indicate an attempt to normalize military pressure on Taiwan, Su said. 

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) condemned the exercises on Tuesday, saying, “China's blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region.”

Both the US and EU have issued statements accusing China of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait.