Since the government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949, an uneasy status quo has existed in the Taiwan Strait. Despite its lack of control over Taiwan and its people, the People’s Republic of China claims the island as an integral component of its own territory. This dynamic has fueled rising tensions, as Beijing has steadily escalated its efforts to bring Taiwan under its control.

The PRC’s vast military has played a key role in this campaign. In recent years, Beijing has increasingly deployed military assets in the vicinity of Taiwan, often as a means of signaling displeasure with Taiwanese political decisions. Since then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island in 2022, these exercises have steadily grown in scale, frequency and proximity to Taiwan’s shores, leading many observers to describe the current situation as the Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis (following three others in 1954, 1958 and 1996).

The most recent military exercise took place from December 29-30, 2025, the eighth major drill since 2022. During the exercises, hundreds of PRC aircraft and naval vessels conducted operations in the air and waters surrounding Taiwan, purportedly in response to the announcement of new U.S. arms sales. With tensions in the region showing no sign of abating, Beijing could feel compelled to undertake further exercises in the near future.

This question will resolve positively if a major news outlet reports that Chinese military forces have conducted a major military exercise in the vicinity of Taiwan. For the purposes of this question, a major military exercise would involve 30 or more sea vessels (including both PLA Navy and China Coast Guard ships), at least one of which breaches Taiwan’s "contiguous zone" (24 nautical miles from Taiwan's main island).