China Lashes Out at Criticism as Taiwan Drills Seem to Wind Down

China blasted Western criticism of its most intrusive drills ever around Taiwan as its armed forces appeared to wrap up the maneuvers.

The Taiwan question was an “internal affair” and “no country is entitled to make irresponsible comments” about the maneuvers, the Chinese embassy in London said in a statement on Wednesday. That came after the UK said the two days of military activity, which included rockets launches, “increase cross-strait tensions and the risk of escalation.”

The European Union and several more Western nations also criticized Beijing. The EU called on China to “exercise restraint and avoid any actions that may further escalate tensions,” adding it opposed “any unilateral actions that change the status quo.” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry signaled it appreciated the support, thanking the EU, UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand for voicing their concern about the drills.

The verbal jousting comes as the exercises held by the People’s Liberation Army seemed to end, though China hasn’t made an official announcement. The major drills China has conducted around Taiwan in recent years generally last one or two days, though there have been exceptions.

The maneuvers this time were notable for how they encroached into a key area around the democracy. Taiwan said Chinese ships crossed a line that marks its 24-nautical mile contiguous zone – the first time they have done that – and PLA rockets also landed inside the boundary. The demarcation is significant because within it Taiwan enforces its laws on things like taxes, immigration and the environment.

Chinese Coast Guard vessels that were involved in the maneuvers were slowly moving away from Taiwan, according to an official with the Taiwanese Coast Guard, who asked not to be identified discussing the sensitive issue. Taiwan was still closely monitoring the movements of the Chinese vessels, the official added.

In another indication the military activity was fading, Taiwan said on X it spotted just 35 planes crossing into sensitive areas in the 24 hours to early Wednesday, down from 90 in the previous period. The Defense Ministry in Taipei said it would make an announcement if it had information to provide.

Zhang Han, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, reiterated the drills were “a stern warning to Taiwan independence separatist forces and external interference.” Speaking at a regular briefing on Wednesday, the Chinese official didn’t indicate whether the exercises had ended.

The PLA conducted two days of snap drills around Taiwan in response to the US approving an $11 billion arms package for the self-run democracy — one of the biggest ever. The maneuvers disrupted some Taiwan flights to offshore outposts, though while international routes were mostly undisturbed. Taiwan stocks rebounded Wednesday, in line to close 2025 at a record.

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