China has clearly increased military threats by deploying over 50 warships and other government vessels in vast waters from southern Japan to Taiwan and the coasts of the Philippines. A senior Taiwanese official described the level of threat as "evident" and elaborated on the details of these activities.
Mapping China's Maritime Activities
Taiwan is working to document and publish maps showing the locations of Chinese warships and coast guard activities. Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of Taiwan's National Security Council, stated, "We are closely monitoring their activities" and added that the simultaneous threat to Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines is "evident."
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On Wednesday, Wu released a map indicating the locations of 53 ships, including 34 warships, among them the aircraft carrier Liaoning. According to this map, the Liaoning and its accompanying battle group are stationed east of the Philippines, while other groups are located in the waters east and southeast of Taiwan, as well as three ships off the southern coast of Japan.
China's Reaction and Regional Impacts
In response to these developments, Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, stated that the Liaoning's exercises in the western Pacific are an annual routine to test combat capabilities in open waters and do not target any country. However, China's relations with Japan and the Philippines have significantly deteriorated in recent months. China is dissatisfied with Japan's support for Taiwan and is currently in a tense situation with the Philippines in the South China Sea.
Taiwan's Defense Minister, Wellington Koo, expressed at a press conference: "We are not pleased with any efforts to showcase deterrence that may threaten peace and stability in the Pacific region."
A senior Taiwanese security official familiar with the matter stated that it remains to be seen whether the Liaoning group will move north towards Japan after exercises in the Philippine Sea. This action could indicate China's desire to pressure Japan's defensive posture.
China has never ruled out the use of force to control Taiwan, although it claims to prefer "peaceful reunification." According to the commander of the U.S. military in the Pacific, China may soon take actions to seize Taiwan next year.
Taiwan is also working to strengthen its deterrent capabilities. Minister Koo, in response to the U.S. military commander's remarks, stated: "China has never abandoned the use of force for the annexation of Taiwan." Taiwan asserts that only the people of the island can decide their future and that Beijing has no right to claim this territory.
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