Why is China holding military drills encircling Taiwan now?

By Emily Feng,

Scott Detrow

Published December 30, 2025 at 11:08 AM HST

China wrapped a new round of live-fire military drills that encircled Taiwan, in a warning to what Beijing calls separatists across the Taiwan strait.

Emily Feng

Emily Feng is NPR's Beijing correspondent.

See stories by Emily Feng

Scott Detrow

Scott Detrow is a White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.

See stories by Scott Detrow

More from Hawai‘i Public Radio

HPR Station Updates

CEO Memo: Gratitude for the year that was, optimism for the year ahead

Meredith Artley

2025 was a phenomenal year for Hawaiʻi Public Radio, one where the people we serve rallied groundbreaking support in the face of unprecedented challenges to public media.
Local News

1 year after Āliamanu explosion, officials urge public to heed fireworks laws

Mark Ladao

As the one-year mark after the deadly fireworks explosion on Oʻahu nears, local officials are urging the public not to use illegal fireworks during New Year’s celebrations.