China launched two days of live-fire military drills around Dongshan Island in the Taiwan Strait on July 23, 2026. The exercises immediately followed high-level talks in Manila between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. While Taiwan condemned the drills as regional provocations, the maneuvers underscore Beijing's ongoing efforts to project military power and assert its sovereignty claims over the critical shipping corridor.
Taiwan Strait live-fire drills
- ▪Taiwan's defense authorities detected 21 mainland Chinese military aircraft sorties, six naval vessels, and two official ships operating near the island between July 22 and July 23, 2026.
- ▪China began a two-day live-fire military drill in the Taiwan Strait on July 23, 2026, running from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily around Dongshan Island.
- ▪Taiwan's foreign ministry condemned China's live-fire drills, calling on Beijing to exercise rational self-restraint and immediately cease its military provocations.
Rubio-Wang Yi diplomatic talks
- ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Manila on July 22, 2026, to discuss stabilizing U.S.-China ties and issues regarding Taiwan.
- ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Chinese military maneuvers around Taiwan run contrary to the spirit of strategic stability established at the May 2026 Beijing summit.
Taiwan Strait trade significance
- ▪Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines collectively shipped $755 billion worth of goods through the Taiwan Strait in 2024, while China's transiting trade totaled nearly $1.3 trillion.
- ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted on July 23, 2026, that no nation has the right to restrict the free flow of commerce and travel through international waterways.
China maritime expansion strategy
- ▪China deployed its coast guard on patrols east of Taiwan starting in early June 2026, which analysts characterize as a strategy to normalize its maritime claims.
- ▪China deployed the scientific research vessel Lanhai 201 east of Taiwan for a fishery resources survey, which analysts viewed as a physical response to U.S. criticism.
South China Sea territorial disputes
- ▪Chinese coast guard personnel clashed with Philippine forces at Second Thomas Shoal on July 20, 2026, injuring one Philippine sailor.
- ▪Chinese coast guard vessels targeted two Philippine fisheries bureau vessels with water cannons and dangerous maneuvers at Scarborough Shoal on July 23, 2026.
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