TAIPEI: Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has reported a record number of 16 Chinese warships spotted in the waters around the island within a 24-hour period, signaling an escalating intimidation campaign by China against Taipei.
The presence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships follows recent exercises where numerous Chinese warplanes flew past the median line of the Taiwan Strait and into key regions of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
Over a span of 72 hours last week, 73 aircraft belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) crossed the informal demarcation line of the Taiwan Strait, which Beijing does not formally recognize but had previously respected. Additionally, nine PLA vessels were reported in Taiwan’s surrounding waters over three consecutive days. This surge in military activity demonstrates China’s multifaceted approach to intimidate Taiwan, according to analysts.
Defense Challenges to Taiwan
Carl Schuster, a Hawaii-based analyst and former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, explained that the continuous PLA activities present Taiwan’s defenders with multiple potential attack routes to strategize their defense while also providing an opportunity for the Chinese military to practice and prepare for a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan.
Despite never having governed Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party considers the self-governing democracy its territory and has sought to diplomatically isolate the island for decades. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to assert control over Taiwan.
Chinese state media highlighted the naval activity, emphasizing the PLAN’s record-breaking deployment of vessels in the drills, according to the Global Times. Analysts quoted in the Global Times article noted that these intensive exercises showcase the PLA’s capabilities to encircle Taiwan. However, specific details about the types of warships involved were not disclosed.
