This year’s drills are ten days, twice as long as before. The timing is no accident. Tensions with Beijing remain high. While polls suggest most Taiwanese don’t believe an invasion is imminent, the government is preparing with focus and urgency.

The country has been gradually expanding military cooperation with the U.S., Japan, and Beijing-claimed Taiwan.

American companies in China are reporting record-low investment plans and declining confidence in profits this year. A survey by the U.S.

Japan is facing its most severe security environment since World War II as three potential adversaries in East Asia – China, Russia and North Korea – ramp up military activities in the region, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday.

Russia operations and North Korean threats pose the greatest challenge to global order since World War II, in its annual assessment.

The US Navy is plagued by shipbuilding and maintenance issues, and faces a rising China that is rapidly modernizing its naval force.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 involved more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 Indo-Pacific and European nations.

Angela Stent, senior fellow at Brookings Institution, says Russian President Vladimir Putin counted on Chinese President Xi Jinping's support when he invaded Ukraine – and continues to count on Beijing's economic support and diplomatic support on a global stage.

Recent drills near Japan reflect China’s ambitions to extend its navy’s reach and exert greater influence, in the Pacific and beyond.