HSINCHU, Taiwan – Taiwan said Tuesday dozens of Chinese warships and other vessels have been deployed around the island, in one of China’s biggest-ever military exercises.
Taiwanese forces were on high alert in anticipation of Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army staging war games in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visits to the United States last week.
“Nearly 90” Chinese naval and coast guard ships were currently in waters along the so-called first island chain, which links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, a senior Taiwanese security official told AFP.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said earlier it had also detected 47 Chinese aircraft near the island in the 24 hours to 6:00 am
That was the highest number of aircraft detected in a single day since a record 153 reported on Oct. 15, after China staged major military drills in response to Lai’s National Day speech days earlier.
Defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said Tuesday the number of Chinese ships in the waters around Taiwan exceeded Beijing’s maritime response to then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in 2022.
China has staged four large-scale military exercises in just over two years, including the drills in response to Pelosi’s visit and two since Lai took office in May.
“It can indeed be said that the scale of these maritime forces exceeds the four drills since 2022,” Sun told reporters.
“The primary military forces used to coerce Taiwan in the past primarily came from the Eastern Theater Command. However, what I am referring to now includes not only the Eastern Theater Command but also forces from the Northern and Southern Theater Commands.”
There has been no public announcement by the PLA or Chinese state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait or South China Sea.
However, a Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman said Monday that China would “firmly defend” its sovereignty, as Taiwan kicked off its drills.
Taiwan regards itself as a sovereign nation and has its own government, military and currency.
Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.
