Taiwan sound alarm: China Mobilizes Massive Naval Force 2 Aircraft Carrier Groups, Dozens of Warships
TAIPEI: China sent two aircraft carrier groups and dozens of vessels into waters north and south of Taiwan last month, a Taiwanese security official stated Monday.
Between May 1 and May 27, up to 70 Chinese ships, including naval ships, were tracked from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea, a security official stated on condition of anonymity.
Beijing has increased the number of fighter jets and warships deployed in the region around Taiwan in recent years as it pressures the government in Taipei to embrace its sovereignty claims on the island.
China has refused to exclude the use of force in unifying Taiwan with mainland China, leaving the island facing the threat of invasion constantly.
Quote its military operations and grey-zone activities as having consisted of mass deployments throughout the entire island arc, including exhaustive maximum pressure,” the security official stated in comments issued Monday.
“Typically, there have been between 50 to 70 ships from the naval fleet and government vessels as well as hundreds of sorties by different military planes repeatedly performing harassment missions.
Some of the vessels sailed into 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 spotted close to Taiwan’s Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait on May 19 and had been “deliberately sent to harass”, the official said.
And 75 Chinese aircraft took part in three “combat readiness patrols” close to the island throughout the month, Taiwan’s defence ministry data reveal.
Asia-Pacific’s so-called first island chain joins Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, while the Yellow Sea is west of South Korea — all allies of the United States and key to its presence in the region.
‘More provocative’
The Taiwanese security official declared that China’s May activities were “more provocative than have been observed before.”
In an incident, Tokyo and Beijing engaged in diplomatic protests with each of them accusing the other of “violating” national airspace, following a Chinese helicopter and coast guard ships confronting a Japanese plane near disputed islands.
China’s deployment occurred on the same day that Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te addressed a speech on May 20 marking his first year in office and predated an annual security forum in Singapore this weekend.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth informed the Shangri-La Dialogue that China was “credibly preparing” to employ military force to overturn the balance of power in Asia.
Beijing, not attending the summit with its Defence Minister Dong Jun, cautioned Washington “should not play with fire”.
“They were in a mode where they could declare something at a moment’s notice, attempting to grab at some chance or pretext to do something,” said the Taiwanese official of the Chinese.
China has conducted several big military exercises in the seas surrounding Taiwan since Lai became the leader.
