China has carried out its biggest regional maritime mobilization in decades, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday, as it monitors what it says is an increase in Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait and the Western Pacific.
The maritime mobilization is the largest since China began holding large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in the mid-1990s, according to the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.
Authorities also reported a significant increase in Chinese military aircraft operating around the island, detecting 47 such jets in the 24 hours before 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The island has been on high alert since Monday (9) as it prepares for possible Chinese military exercises after President Lai Ching-te made unofficial stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam earlier this month.
Taiwan noted on Monday that several formations of Chinese military and coast guard vessels were moving in regional waters and around the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing has not announced military exercises or acknowledged the large-scale mobilization cited by Taipei.
China’s Communist Party claims autonomous democratic Taiwan as its own territory, despite never having controlled it, and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
The Chinese government views unofficial interactions between the United States and Taiwan as a violation of its sovereignty. The island’s leadership, in turn, rejects territorial claims to it.
“Stunning” number of vessels
Lt. Gen. Hsieh Jih-Sheng, deputy chief of Taiwan’s General Intelligence Staff, highlighted that a “staggering” number of Chinese vessels had been deployed on a scale that “could block external forces.”
The naval deployment of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was not just targeting Taiwan, according to Hsieh, who also highlighted that the distribution of the boats extended to waters beyond the first island chain.
The strategically significant island chain spans Japan, Taiwan, parts of the Philippines and Indonesia, and has long been a key platform for the US to maintain its position as the dominant power in the Pacific.
“The PLA’s recent activities have not only exerted military pressure on Taiwan. Its naval forces, specifically, have significantly increased their posture around Taiwan and the Western Pacific,” Hsieh warned.
China’s ability to block external forces from entering the first island chain could pose a threat to Taiwan’s survival in the event of an invasion, potentially cutting off naval access to external forces seeking to aid the island.
In a statement on Monday, Taiwan authorities highlighted that the PLA had designated seven zones of reserved airspace east of its coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.
No live ammunition exercises have taken place so far in areas north and northwest of Taiwan, respectively, the ministry said in its briefing.
THE CNN has contacted the Chinese Ministry of Defense and is awaiting feedback.
This content was originally published in China’s maritime mobilization around Taiwan is the largest in decades, says government on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
