In a show of military strength and a pointed warning to Taiwan, China recently conducted extensive war games in the air and seas surrounding Taiwan. The drills, known as Joint-Sword 2024B, involved China’s modernized H-6 bombers—updated versions of aircraft first introduced in the early Cold War—along with advanced strike aircraft, warships, and missile forces. The exercises, which took place last month, were meant to demonstrate China’s capability and readiness to target Taiwan’s key facilities in the event of conflict.

The H-6 bombers, which took off from bases on the Chinese mainland, were featured prominently in Chinese state media, showcasing China’s willingness to utilize its older but modernized fleet to conduct simulated attacks. Over a 25-hour period starting October 14, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that 153 Chinese aircraft, including three groups of H-6 bombers, and 14 naval vessels encroached on Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), with over 100 aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Equipped with the ability to launch both nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and long-range anti-ship missiles, the H-6 remains central to China’s evolving aerial capabilities, with refueling enhancements allowing them to reach the Western Pacific, a region home to U.S. military bases like Guam. Experts highlight that the H-6 bombers are a primary component of Chinese military doctrine, prepared to execute critical strikes on communication facilities, ports, and airfields in a potential campaign to assert control over Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defense ministry responded by deploying air, sea, and missile forces and actively tracking China’s maneuvers. Major Pete Nguyen, a Pentagon spokesperson, reassured that the U.S. is prepared to respond to any threat while emphasizing that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin does not view conflict with China as inevitable.

This latest display underscores rising tensions as the U.S. and China closely monitor each other’s activities in the Asia-Pacific. Last week, China showcased its J-35A stealth fighter at the Zhuhai air show, a move seen as another assertion of Beijing’s advanced military capabilities.

A recent joint patrol between Chinese H-6 bombers and Russian Tu-95 bombers near Alaska marked the first such approach by China close to the U.S. mainland, reflecting a deepening military partnership between Beijing and Moscow. NORAD scrambled American and Canadian fighter jets in response, while Pentagon officials downplayed the flights as non-threatening but indicative of China’s growing confidence on the global stage.