Chinese naval escalation near Taiwan raises security alarms
Taiwanese authorities are sounding the alarm over the unprecedented presence of Chinese warships and coast guard units near the island. Defence Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang stated that the scale of these operations is the largest since 1996.
On Tuesday, Sun Li-fang mentioned that the number of Chinese naval units near Taiwan had exceeded those participating in the People's Liberation Army manoeuvres in 2022, which were in response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei.
The current scale is the largest compared to the previous four [exercises around Taiwan]. Regardless of whether they have announced drills, they are posing a great threat to us, the spokesperson emphasized.
Sun pointed out that the ships are deployed along the first island chain, linking Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. A senior security official informed the AFP agency that "nearly 90" Chinese units are currently in the waters of the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea.
Increased Chinese army activity near Taiwan
In a morning report, Taiwan's defence ministry stated that 47 Chinese aircraft and 12 warships were detected near the main island in the past 24 hours. This represents the highest level of Chinese military activity in the region in two months.
Although Beijing has not confirmed plans to conduct further manoeuvres, speculation has been growing since last week. At the time, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te embarked on his first overseas trip to three Pacific island nations, maintaining diplomatic relations with Taipei. He also briefly stopped in Guam and Hawaii, which drew criticism from China. Beijing considers Taiwan an "inseparable" part of the People's Republic of China and labels President Lai a "separatist."
Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party have repeatedly emphasized that Taiwan and China "are not subordinate to each other," and the future of the island can only be decided by the Taiwanese themselves. According to a November survey by the Taiwanese think tank IPST, 92% of residents view Taiwan as an independent country, and 77.5% believe it is not part of China.
