Latest news with #TaiwanStrait
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
US Indo-Pacific commander calls PLA operations in Taiwan Strait ‘rehearsals', not just exercises
The top US commander in the Pacific said on Monday that Beijing was on a 'dangerous course' and its operations around Taiwan were not mere exercises, but 'rehearsals'. Advertisement 'We face a profoundly consequential time in the Indo-Pacific. China is on a dangerous course,' said Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, in a special address to an AI expo hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project think tank. 'Their aggressive manoeuvres around Taiwan are not just exercises. They are rehearsals,' he continued, without explicitly referencing a potential takeover of Taiwan. Beijing regards the self-ruled island as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take it by force and is committed to arming it. In recent years, the US has grown increasingly anxious about a mainland takeover, with officials and lawmakers eyeing 2027 as a possible window, and pointing to more frequent People's Liberation Army sorties that cross the Taiwan Strait's median line as signs of growing aggression. Advertisement Tensions between Taiwan and mainland China have also grown in the year since Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has called a 'destroyer of peace', took office. Without naming specific countries, Paparo said on Monday that China's aggression was compounded by 'a growing transactional symbiosis among an axis of autocracies,' evidenced by 'technology transfers and coordinated military activities'.
News24
18 hours ago
- General
- News24
China escalates military pressure on Taiwan with ‘more provocative' aircraft carriers, ships
China conducted military expansion exercises around Taiwan, officials said. Up to 70 Chinese ships were monitored in May. A total of 75 Chinese aircraft were involved in three patrols near Taiwan. China deployed two aircraft carrier groups and dozens of ships in waters north and south of Taiwan in May, a Taiwanese security official said on Monday, as Beijing keeps up military pressure on the self-ruled island. Up to 70 Chinese ships, including navy vessels, were monitored from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea from 1 to 27 May, a security official said on the condition of anonymity. Beijing has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan in recent years as it pressures Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty over the island. China has refused to rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control, leaving the island to face the constant threat of invasion. 'Its military actions and grey-zone activities have included large-scale deployments across the entire island chain, involving comprehensive maximum pressure,' the security official said in remarks released on Monday. 'On average, there have been between 50 to 70 naval vessels and government ships as well as hundreds of sorties by various military aircraft continuously conducting harassment operations.' READ | 'Blatant provocation': Taiwan detects record 45 China aircraft, 14 warships near island Some of the ships passed through the Miyako Strait to the Western Pacific Ocean for 'long-distance training, including combined air-sea exercises', the official said. Another 30 Chinese vessels with no name, documentation or port of registry were detected near Taiwan's Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait on 19 May and had been 'deliberately sent to harass', the official said. And a total of 75 Chinese aircraft were involved in three 'combat readiness patrols' near the island during the month, Taiwan's defence ministry figures show. Asia-Pacific's so-called first island chain links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, while the Yellow Sea is west of South Korea - all partners of the US and critical to its influence in the region. The Taiwanese security official said China's activities in May were 'more provocative than previously observed'. In one incident, Tokyo and Beijing exchanged diplomatic protests each accusing the other of 'violating' national airspace, after a Chinese helicopter and coast guard vessels faced off with a Japanese aircraft around disputed islands. The Chinese actions were a demonstration of 'military expansion' and were aimed at controlling the 'entire island chain and improving their capabilities', the official said. I-Hwa Cheng/AFP China's deployment coincided with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's speech on 20 May marking his first year in office and came ahead of an annual security forum in Singapore at the weekend. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue that China was 'credibly preparing' to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia. Beijing, which did not send its Defence Minister Dong Jun to the summit, warned Washington 'should not play with fire'. 'It felt like they were in a state where they could announce something at any moment, trying to seize on some opportunity or excuse to act,' the Taiwanese official said of the Chinese. China has carried out several large-scale military drills around Taiwan since Lai took office.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Taiwan says China deployed two aircraft carrier groups, dozens of ships
China deployed two aircraft carrier groups and dozens of ships in waters north and south of Taiwan last month, a Taiwanese security official said Monday, as Beijing keeps up military pressure on the self-ruled island. Up to 70 Chinese ships, including navy vessels, were monitored from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea from May 1-27, a security official said on the condition of anonymity. Beijing has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan in recent years as it pressures Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty over the island. China has refused to rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control, leaving the island to face the constant threat of invasion. 'Its military actions and grey-zone activities have included large-scale deployments across the entire island chain, involving comprehensive maximum pressure,' the security official said in remarks released Monday. 'On average, there have been between 50 to 70 naval vessels and government ships as well as hundreds of sorties by various military aircraft continuously conducting harassment operations.' Some of the ships passed through the Miyako Strait to the Western Pacific Ocean for 'long-distance training, including combined air-sea exercises,' the official said. Another 30 Chinese vessels with no name, documentation or port of registry were detected near Taiwan's Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait on May 19 and had been 'deliberately sent to harass,' the official said. And a total of 75 Chinese aircraft were involved in three 'combat readiness patrols' near the island during the month, Taiwan's defense ministry figures show. Asia-Pacific's so-called first island chain links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, while the Yellow Sea is west of South Korea -- all partners of the United States and critical to its influence in the region. 'More provocative' The Taiwanese security official said China's activities in May were 'more provocative than previously observed.' In one incident, Tokyo and Beijing exchanged diplomatic protests each accusing the other of 'violating' national airspace, after a Chinese helicopter and coast guard vessels faced off with a Japanese aircraft around disputed islands. The Chinese actions were a demonstration of 'military expansion' and were aimed at controlling the 'entire island chain and improving their capabilities,' the official said. China's deployment coincided with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's speech on May 20 marking his first year in office and came ahead of an annual security forum in Singapore at the weekend. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue that China was 'credibly preparing' to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia. Beijing, which did not send its Defense Minister Dong Jun to the summit, warned Washington 'should not play with fire.' 'It felt like they were in a state where they could announce something at any moment, trying to seize on some opportunity or excuse to act,' the Taiwanese official said of the Chinese. China has carried out several large-scale military drills around Taiwan since Lai took office.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
US sounds alarm over Taiwan invasion warning
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sounds alarm over "imminent" threat of China invading Taiwan. China rejects his remarks, calling them "groundless accusations".
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hegseth Vows ‘Devastating Consequences' if China Seeks to Invade Taiwan
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said China's threat to Taiwan 'could be imminent,' in what was his most assertive statement to date on Taiwan during a security conference in Singapore. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
