China deploys large numbers of naval and coast guard ships in East Asian waters, more than 100 ships at any given time. The deployment represents the largest show of naval power to date, according to four sources and reports … Intelligence information reviewed by Reuters.
China is facing a traditionally busy season for military exercises, although the People’s Liberation Army has not officially announced any large-scale exercises.
However, the increase in activity comes at a time when China and Japan are going through a diplomatic crisis, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi announced last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Beijing was also angry when, in November, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te announced additional spending of $40 billion (about 34.26 billion euros) on defense to confront China.
The Chinese ships were concentrated in waters extending from the southern Yellow Sea, through the East China Sea, to the disputed South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, according to four senior security officials in the region.
Their accounts were confirmed by intelligence reports from a country in the region, which provided details of the deployment. Reuters reviewed the reports on the condition that the country not be named.
As of Thursday morning, there were more than 90 Chinese vessels operating in the area, down from more than 100 vessels earlier this week, according to the documents.
The operations go beyond China’s massive naval deployment in December last year, prompting Taiwan to raise its alert level, the sources said.
Tsai Ming YinThe Director-General of Taiwan’s National Security Office confirmed on Wednesday that “China is now going through the busiest season in its military maneuvers.”
As of Wednesday morning, China has four naval formations operating in the Western Pacific, monitored by Taiwan, Tsai said, without providing details.
“Therefore, we must anticipate the enemy as much as possible and continue to closely monitor any changes in relevant activities,” he added in response to a question about whether China could organize new specific exercises against Taiwan before the end of the year.
China’s Defense and Foreign Ministries, as well as the Taiwan Affairs Office and Japan Self-Defense Forces, did not respond to requests for comment.
“Taiwan has full and real-time knowledge of the security situation in the Taiwan Strait and the broader region. It can confirm that there are no national security concerns,” a presidential office spokesman said in a statement.karen ko, Before adding that “Taiwan will continue to work closely with its international partners to deter any unilateral actions that could threaten regional stability.”
Create risks
One senior official, who – like others – spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, confirmed that Beijing began sending a larger than usual number of ships to the region after November 14, when it summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest Takaishi’s statements on Taiwan.
“This far exceeds China’s national defense needs and creates risks for all parties,” the senior official familiar with the matter explained, adding that Beijing is testing regional capitals’ responses with an “unprecedented” deployment.
In addition to warplanes, some Chinese ships in the region carried out fake attacks against foreign ships. They also carried out access denial operations with the aim of preventing external forces from sending reinforcements in the event of a conflict, according to the source.
Two other sources confirmed that the countries of the region are closely monitoring the development of the situation, but confirmed that so far they do not believe that the publication entails great risks.
“There has been a huge spread,” one of those sources said. “But it seems like it’s just routine training.”
However, the number of Chinese ships close to Taiwan has not increased significantly, according to the first official and intelligence reports.
The last named Chinese war maneuver was held near Taiwan last April and was called “Thunder Strait-2025.” China has never officially confirmed that it conducted exercises during the massive naval activity last December.