Canada Speaks Out Against China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan

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Jan 3, 2026 - 10:55 Updated: Jan 3, 2026 - 02:02
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Canada Speaks Out Against China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan

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Canada has criticized China’s decision to conduct large-scale military drills around Taiwan earlier this week, in which Beijing fired missiles and deployed a large number of warplanes and naval vessels near the island.

“Canada opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait,” Global Affairs Canada said in a Jan. 1 statement.

The Taiwan Strait—a key global shipping route—is “indispensable” to the international community’s security and prosperity, Global Affairs noted.

“It is in the interest of all parties to maintain the peaceful and accessible nature of this waterway,” the statement said.

Canada’s comments came a day after China’s military wrapped up its two days of drills encircling Taiwan.

China’s Eastern Theater Command began the military drills encircling Taiwan on Dec. 29, deploying destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers, unmanned aerial vehicles, amphibious assault ships, and other weapons for exercises, including port seizure.
China launched 27 rockets toward the Taiwan Strait on Dec. 30, according to the defence ministry in Taipei. Ten of the 27 rockets fell into the sea within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan’s coast, marking the closest proximity to the island ever recorded for China’s live-fire drills.

The command announced on the afternoon of Dec. 31 that the drills had ended, adding that it would continue to strengthen its capabilities targeting “separatists” in Taiwan and “external intervention.”

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province, despite never having governed the island nation, and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goal of “reunification.”

Taiwan’s Military News Agency reported on the morning of Dec. 31 that the Taiwanese military remained in a “high state of alert” and was “ready at any moment to respond to sudden situations.”
Taiwan’s military spotted a total of 207 sorties of Chinese military aircraft, along with naval vessels and ships, from 6 a.m. local time on Dec. 29 to 6 a.m. local time on Dec. 31, according to Taiwan’s defence ministry.

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration also said on Dec. 31 that it has detected 14 China Coast Guard vessels since the morning of Dec. 29.

China’s activities led to the cancellation of dozens of commercial flights within Taiwan. Meanwhile, some international flights cancelled planned stopovers in Taiwan, but no international flights were fully cancelled, Taiwan’s aviation authorities said on Dec. 30.

Shortly after China’s military wrapped up the drills, CCP leader Xi Jinping used his New Year address broadcast across the nation on Dec. 31 to reiterate the intention to seize the self-governed democracy, saying that “reunification” is “unstoppable.”

The defence ministry in Taipei reported on Jan. 1 that it had detected three Chinese military aircraft, 17 Chinese navy vessels, and eight Chinese official ships in the waters surrounding Taiwan.
Anxiety about a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan has escalated in recent years as the CCP ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, including by flying warplanes near Taiwan on a nearly daily basis and carrying out large-scale military drills in the Taiwan Strait.

International Criticism

The escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait have sparked international concerns. The United States released a statement on Jan. 1 calling on the Chinese regime to stop military pressure on Taiwan.

“China’s military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily,” a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said.

The spokesperson urged Beijing to exercise restraint and “engage in meaningful dialogue” instead, adding that the United States “supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including by force or coercion.”

Similarly, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines have all expressed concerns about China’s military drills.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a global group of hundreds of lawmakers who coordinate their efforts to confront challenges posed by Beijing, also issued a Dec. 29 statement condemning the CCP’s actions, saying the drills “represent a deliberate escalation of coercive pressure against Taiwan and a dangerous step away from restraint.”

The alliance said governments need to do more than issue statements on China’s actions, and called for a shared deterrence plan, stronger collective preparedness, and a clear warning that any further escalation would prompt a “coordinated and resolute response.”

Dorothy Li and Frank Fang contributed to this report.
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