Taiwan Calls China Threat ‘Obvious’ As 50-Plus Chinese Ships Operate Near Japan And Philippines

A senior official of Taiwan has described the threat from China as “obvious”, as more than 50 Chinese navy and other government vessels are operating in waters stretching from southern Japan to Taiwan and near the Philippines.

Taiwan is making a greater effort to publicly track Chinese military and Coast Guard movements by sharing maps and details of where the vessels are operating. China claims Taiwan as its territory.

Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, said Taipei was closely monitoring the activity. "We're staying vigilant about their activities. The simultaneous threat to Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines is obvious," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Wu shared a map on X on Wednesday showing 53 Chinese vessels operating across the region, including 34 navy warships. The vessels included China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning.

China’s defence ministry said earlier this month that the aircraft carrier Liaoning was taking part in a routine training exercise and that the drills were not aimed at any particular country.

Relations Between China And Neighbours Have Worsened

Japan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that it had tracked four Chinese vessels passing through the Osumi Strait near Kyushu a day earlier. The group included three navy warships and one Coast Guard vessel, which later entered the Pacific.

Relations between China's relations with Japan and the Philippines have worsened in recent months. Beijing has objected to Japan’s support for Taiwan and remains locked in an increasingly tense dispute with Manila over the South China Sea.

Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo criticised the military activity on Thursday, saying, "We are not happy to see any attempt to project deterrence that could undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," according to Reuters.

Beijing has not ruled out using military force to take control of Taiwan, although it says it prefers “peaceful reunification”.

The US Army’s Pacific forces are preparing for the possibility that China could move against Taiwan as early as next year, Stars and Stripes reported, citing their commander, Ronald Clark. Clark made the remarks at a forum in Hawaii on Tuesday.

Asked about Clark’s assessment, Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo said Taipei was working to strengthen its own defence and deterrence capabilities.