Camille Naredo

This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP

This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. - Taiwan's coast guard said December 9 it had detected "unusual movements" of seven Chinese coast guard ships since the early hours of December 6 -- the day Taiwan President Lai Ching-te returned to Taipei following a Pacific tour last week that included two stopovers on US soil. There was no immediate public announcement by the PLA or Chinese state media about increased military activity around Taiwan. (Photo by Handout / TAIWAN COAST GUARD / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / TAIWAN COAST GUARD" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Article (news)

TAIWAN

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1733817765209AFP__20241209__36PW4VN__v1__HighRes__TaiwanChinaDefence.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. <em>Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>HSINCHU, Taiwan -- Taiwan said Tuesday that dozens of Chinese warships and other vessels have been deployed around the island, in one of China&#x27;s biggest-ever military exercises.</p><p>Taiwanese forces were on high alert in anticipation of Beijing&#x27;s People&#x27;s Liberation Army staging war games in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te&#x27;s visits to the United States last week.</p><p>&quot;Nearly 90&quot; Chinese naval and coast guard ships were currently in waters along the so-called first island chain, which links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, a senior Taiwanese security official told AFP.</p><p>Taiwan&#x27;s defense ministry said earlier it had also detected 47 Chinese aircraft near the island in the 24 hours to 6:00 am (2200 GMT).</p><p>That was the highest number of aircraft detected in a single day since a record 153 reported on October 15, after China staged major military drills in response to Lai&#x27;s National Day speech days earlier.</p><p>Defense ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said Tuesday the number of Chinese ships in the waters around Taiwan exceeded Beijing&#x27;s maritime response to then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi&#x27;s visit to Taipei in 2022.</p><p>China has staged four large-scale military exercises in just over two years, including the drills in response to Pelosi&#x27;s visit and two since Lai took office in May.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/9/taiwan-says-on-high-alert-after-china-s-military-restricts-airspace-1558">READ: Taiwan says on high alert after China&#x27;s military restricts airspace</a></div><p>&quot;It can indeed be said that the scale of these maritime forces exceeds the four drills since 2022,&quot; Sun told reporters.</p><p>&quot;The primary military forces used to coerce Taiwan in the past primarily came from the Eastern Theater Command. However, what I am referring to now includes not only the Eastern Theater Command but also forces from the Northern and Southern Theater Commands.&quot;</p><p>There has been no public announcement by the PLA or Chinese state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait or South China Sea.</p><p>However, a Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman said Monday that China would &quot;firmly defend&quot; its sovereignty, as Taiwan kicked off its drills.</p><p>Taiwan regards itself as a sovereign nation and has its own government, military and currency.</p><p>Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/1/we-have-to-fight-together-to-prevent-war-taiwans-lai-says-in-us-1816">READ: We have to &#x27;fight together to prevent war&#x27;, Taiwan&#x27;s Lai says in US</a></div><div><strong>- Austin vows support -</strong></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABRiLG7CiAx0FLzc&amp;activation=adfill&amp;vip_mode=no"></script><p>Beijing in recent years has asserted its claims over contested territories in the region far more boldly as its military strength has grown.</p><p>The escalating actions -- over islands in the East China Sea claimed by Japan, the self-ruled territory of Taiwan, and reefs and islands in the South China Sea that are also claimed by Southeast Asian nations -- have come as Beijing&#x27;s rivals have drawn closer to the United States.</p><p>US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that China was the &quot;only country in the world that has the intent and, increasingly, the capability to change the rules-based international order.&quot;</p><p>&quot;And so, you know, we want to see this region, this area remain open to freedom of navigation and the ability to fly the skies and international airways whenever we want to,&quot; Austin said, in a speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is stationed off Yokosuka south of Tokyo.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re going to continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure that we can do just that.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/3/taiwan-s-lai-kicks-off-marshall-islands-visit-as-china-fumes-1657">READ: Taiwan&#x27;s Lai kicks off Marshall Islands visit as China fumes</a></div><p>The United States is Taiwan&#x27;s most important backer and biggest supplier of arms, but has long maintained &quot;strategic ambiguity&quot; when it comes to putting boots on the ground to defend the island.</p><p>Lai said Friday he was &quot;confident&quot; of deeper cooperation with the next Donald Trump administration, a day after he spoke with US Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that angered China.</p><p>China&#x27;s foreign ministry warned Taiwan on Friday that &quot;seeking independence with the help of the United States will inevitably hit a wall&quot;, and called on Washington to &quot;cease meddling in Taiwan-related affairs&quot;.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Taiwan said Tuesday that dozens of Chinese warships and other vessels have been deployed around the island, in one of China's biggest-ever military exercises.</p>

Taiwan said Tuesday that dozens of Chinese warships and other vessels have been deployed around the island, in one of China's biggest-ever military exercises.

Taiwan says China carrying out huge maritime drills

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Taiwan says China carrying out huge maritime drills

Agence France-Presse,

Akio Wang with Joy Chiang in Taipei

Published December 10, 2024 04:26 PM PHT

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