Australia is deeply worried about China's large military exercises close to Taiwan. On Wednesday, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) said these surprise drills risk destabilizing the region and could cause accidents or escalate tensions. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) started the exercises, called “Justice Mission 2025,” on Monday. Dfat called the drills "deeply concerning, destabilising and risk inflaming regional tensions." The statement said, "Australia strongly opposes any actions that increase the risk of accident, miscalculation or escalation. Differences should be managed through dialogue, not the use of force or coercion." Australia also opposes any unilateral moves to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. "Peace and stability are in all our interests," the statement added. Australian officials have spoken directly to Chinese counterparts to express these concerns. On Tuesday, Taiwan's defence ministry reported the PLA fired 27 missiles from China's coast into waters near Taiwan, with at least 70 warplanes, 11 navy ships, and 14 coast guard vessels involved. The missiles came closer to Taiwan’s main island than in previous drills, some entering Taiwan’s 24-nautical mile zone. Thirteen ships were detected in these restricted waters. In the 24 hours from Monday morning, Taiwan's military detected 130 warplanes, 28 ships, amphibious assault vessels, and a surveillance balloon. This is the sixth major PLA military exercise targeting Taiwan since 2022. That year, China launched live-fire drills after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. In April, China held a two-day drill named Strait Thunder-2025A. Analysts believe next drills might be called Strait Thunder-2025B. This time, PLA said the exercise included preparing to deter international forces. Some PLA aircraft stayed visible on radar, which is unusual. When asked on Monday, former US President Donald Trump said, "I have a great relationship with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and he hasn’t told me anything about it." Trump added, "I certainly have seen it... I don’t believe he is going to be doing it. Nothing worries me." China claims Taiwan as its province and aims to be able to invade by 2027, according to US intelligence gathered years ago.