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News24
3 days 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.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Taiwan Warns of Rise in Chinese Military Activity Around Region
Taiwan said China escalated military pressure around the region in May, deploying dozens of warships and government vessels daily in what it described as an extreme pressure campaign. China sent an average of 50 to 70 vessels per day across the first island chain — a key strategic arc stretching from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines — between May 1 and 27, said a senior Taiwanese security official, who asked not to be identified, citing government protocol.
