East China - April 1, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of video footage showing military exercises conducted by multiple forces under Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command around Taiwan island in progress

Beijing, China - April 1, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Senior Colonel Zhang Chi, professor, National Defense University of Chinese People's Liberation Army:
"Whenever the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces make a new move, the PLA will respond with the adoption of a stronger military countermeasure. The more closely these separatist forces align themselves with external powers, the more tightly the PLA will strengthen its blockade around Taiwan."

Beijing, China - April 2, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Themed poster "closing in" released by PLA Eastern Theater Command
4. Themed poster "enveloping advance" released by PLA Eastern Theater Command

China - Released on April 1, 2025 (PLA Eastern Theater Command - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of PLA military exercises in progress; cityscape in Taiwan; animations showing PLA's ability to precisely hit targets

East China - April 1, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of PLA drills in progress

Beijing, China - April 2, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Poster showing Coast Guard vessels conducting law-enforcement patrols in accordance with one-China principle

East China - April 2, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. PLA Eastern Theater Command units conducting long-range live-fire drills
9. Aerial shot of targets being hit, black smoke rising

China - April 2, 2025 (PLA Eastern Theater Command - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Animation showing PLA Eastern Theater Command's statement on "Strait Thunder-2025" exercises

East China - April 2, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of military aircraft taking off, flying

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command launched military exercises code-named "Strait Thunder-2025A" in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, one day after it organized army, navy, air and rocket forces to conduct joint exercises around the Taiwan island, in a latest move widely seen as a direct response to separatist provocations by Taiwan's Democratic Progress Party (DPP) authorities.

In Tuesday's joint drills, the army, navy, air and rocket forces under the PLA Eastern Theater Command closed in on the Taiwan island from multiple directions, with the focus on sea-air combat-readiness patrols, joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade of key areas and sea lanes, to test the joint operation capabilities of the participating troops.

The drills on Wednesday focused on subjects of identification and verification, warning and expulsion, and interception and detention to test the participating troops' capabilities of area regulation and control, joint blockade and control, and precision strikes on key targets.

Taiwan-based media outlets have closely followed the PLA drills, with a local commentator remarking that the drills leave no doubt about their target of Lai Ching-te, who recently introduced the so-called "17 strategies" to incite anti-China sentiment, obstruct cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait, according to a China Media Group (CMG) commentary on Wednesday.

Senior Colonel Zhang Chi of the National Defense University of Chinese People's Liberation Army said that the drills underscored the PLA's unwavering resolve and strategic depth in countering separatist moves.

"Whenever the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces make a new move, the PLA will respond with the adoption of a stronger military countermeasure. The more closely these separatist forces align themselves with external powers, the more tightly the PLA will strengthen its blockade around Taiwan," Zhang said.

Lai's remarks on March 13, in which he labeled the mainland as a "hostile external force," and his introduction of the so-called "17 strategies" both reaffirm his separatist agenda.

Analysts in Taiwan see the PLA's tightening encirclement as a direct consequence of his actions, the commentary said.

Military experts on the island warn that the drills simulate the blockade operations that separatist forces fear the most, demonstrating the PLA's capability to encircle Taiwan from all directions and neutralize resistance.

Liu Kuangyu, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, underscored the message behind these drills -- the mainland will never tolerate separatist activities threatening peace and stability.

The PLA's actions are not only a punitive response to Lai's repeated provocations but also a strategic show of deterrence, preventing Taiwan from falling deeper into the trap of separatism, Liu said.

A broader view of the PLA's maneuvers since Lai's taking office in May last year reveals a tightening grip on the island, according to the commentary.

The drills, coming nearly 20 days after Lai's latest provocations, highlighted the PLA's strategic flexibility and ability to strike unexpectedly for maximum deterrence.

With the back-to-back "Joint Sword-2024A" and "Joint Sword-2024B" drills in 2024 (with the former held from May 23 to 24, and the latter from October 14 to 15), the PLA has steadily increased pressure, sealing off Taiwan from multiple directions and demonstrating its ability to move even closer, the commentary said.

A Taiwan-based military expert predicted that the PLA may normalize its joint combat patrols, maintaining sustained pressure on separatist forces.

Additionally, PLA warships and China Coast Guard vessels have intensified coordination in the drills, reinforcing control over the island in accordance with the one-China principle, according to Fu Zhengnan, a researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences.

The PLA has made it clear that Lai's separatist agenda will only tighten the noose around the island. Should Lai disregard these warnings and persist in his reckless pursuit of 'Taiwan independence,' he will face increasingly severe consequences, hastening the inevitable downfall of the separatists, according to the commentary.