China’s deployment of multiple formations of navy and coast guard ships to the waters around the Taiwan Strait and the Western Pacific has raised concerns as the island prepares for potential military maneuvers by Beijing.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has identified Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ships from the Eastern, Northern and Southern Theater Commands, as well as coast guard vessels, entering the maritime zones, according to a ministry statement.
The military activity comes after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te angered Beijing by making unofficial stops in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam during a weeklong tour of the South Pacific that ended Friday.
Chinese officials have strongly opposed Lai’s trip, calling it “separatist.” Lai’s trip follows the US approval of new arms sales to Taiwan, prompting China to vow “firm countermeasures.”
China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self-ruled democracy as its territory, though it has never controlled it, and views unofficial interactions between the US and Taiwan as a violation of its sovereignty.
Taiwan’s leadership rejects China’s territorial claims, while Beijing has vowed to “reunify” with the island and has not ruled out taking it by force.
Taiwan’s defense ministry also said it had begun combat-readiness exercises “to counter PLA activities” and was on high alert to monitor PLA movements.
“Any unilateral provocation could jeopardize peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.” We will confront all incursions into the gray zone and ensure our national security,” the ministry said in a post on the social media platform X.
Major naval deployment
Beijing has in the past used military exercises to intimidate Taiwan in response to actions it sees as violating its claims to the island, part of a broader trend of increased military pressure that has played a role in deepening the unofficial partnership between Washington and Beijing.
A senior Taiwanese official told CNN that China’s current naval deployment is larger than the previous two rounds of military exercises around the island earlier this year.
In May, days after Lai’s inauguration, China launched two days of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, dubbed “punishment” for alleged separatist acts. The exercises were codenamed “Joint Sword-2024A.”.
China then conducted the “Joint Sword-2024B” drills in October, after Lai said in a National Day speech that the island was not “subordinate” to China.
China’s latest military move appears to differ from those two exercises, the Taiwanese official noted.
Rather than encircling Taiwan, the Chinese navy ships appear to be aiming to assert control in the First Island Chain — a chain of strategic islands encompassing Japan, Taiwan, parts of the Philippines and Indonesia, the official added.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry also said Monday that the PLA has designated seven areas of restricted airspace east of its coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian, which are north and northwest of Taiwan, respectively.
These areas are temporarily reserved for a specific user for a set period of time, though other aircraft can still fly through them with permission from airspace controllers, according to international aviation rules.
‘Never bow to authoritarianism’
Asked about the ships and airspace restrictions mentioned by Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Monday: “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair. China will firmly defend its national sovereignty and territory.”
Lai made stops in Hawaii and Guam during a tour of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies. Such unofficial stops in the US are routine for Taiwanese leaders.
The visit was Lai’s first to the US since he became president in May. The leader, who has long faced Beijing’s wrath for defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, used his trip to advocate solidarity with like-minded democracies.
During his stop in Guam, Lai called on like-minded countries to “never bow to totalitarianism.”
“I hope all our compatriots, no matter where they are, will commit together to deepening our democracy and protecting it,” Lai said in a speech to members of the overseas Taiwanese community and Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero on Thursday.
Lai also held a phone call with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson during his stop in the U.S. territory, which is home to some of the most strategically important U.S. bases in the Pacific.
Beijing has sharply criticized Lai’s trip throughout the past week, vowing to “take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”