China's President Xi Jinping made the bombshell comments in his New Year address.

19:21, Wed, Dec 31, 2025 Updated: 22:10, Wed, Dec 31, 2025

Xi Jinping New Year message

Xi Jinping made the comments whilst delivering his 2026 New Year message (Image: AP)

China's President Xi Jinping has issued a chilling invasion threat to Taiwan in a bombshell New Year's address to his country as fears over a possible World War 3 skyrocket.

He said in a speech televised by state broadcaster CCTV: "Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are bound by blood ties thicker than water, and the historical trend toward national reunification is unstoppable." Taiwan is keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitors Chinese naval manoeuvres, the coast guard said. The drills, dubbed Justice Mission 2025, involved China launching dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deploying large numbers of warships and aircraft around the island, in a display of military strength that alarmed Western allies. Taipei denounced the drills as a serious threat to regional stability and a blatant act of provocation.

China increased it's military exercises in the Taiwan Strait

China increased it's military exercises in the Taiwan Strait (Image: Getty)

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Meanwhile, Chinese vessels were beginning to withdraw from waters around Taiwan, though Beijing had not yet officially announced the conclusion of the exercises, according to Kuan Bi-ling, head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council.

"The maritime situation has calmed down, with ships and vessels gradually departing. As China has not announced the conclusion of the military exercises, the emergency response centre remains operational," she said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (December 30).

A Taiwanese coast guard official told Reuters that all 11 Chinese coast guard vessels had departed from waters near Taiwan and were continuing to move farther away.

A separate security official said emergency response centres for both the military and coastguard remained operational.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that, over the past 24 hours, 77 Chinese military aircraft along with 25 navy and coast guard vessels had been active around the island. Of those, 35 military aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait that divides the two sides.

Tensions between the two nations have been heightened in recent weeks, with widespread economic sanctions and increased military drills being carried out after a Donald Trump-agreed $11bn weapons package with Taipei.

It is currently unknown what countermeasures will be taken against either the US or its autonomous island neighbour, which it claims as its own.

Only five days ago, China began drills that included 10 hours of live-firing in the sea and airspace of five places around Taiwan.