Taiwan reported an increase in Chinese military activity around the region
Kyiv • UNN
In May, China significantly increased military activity around Taiwan, deploying dozens of ships daily. The number of vessels reached 70 per day, including aircraft carriers, which is a record.
Taiwan said China stepped up military pressure in the region in May, deploying dozens of warships and government vessels daily as part of an "extraordinary pressure campaign." Bloomberg reports, UNN reports.
Details
In May, China sent an average of 50 to 70 ships a day through the first island chain — a key strategic arc stretching from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines, a senior Taiwanese security official said on condition of anonymity.
The official called it a record high for May, though he did not provide comparable figures from the previous period. A document released by the official showed the scope and scope of deployments stretching from the Yellow Sea to the East and South China Seas.
According to a Taipei official, China's activity peaked around May 27, when more than 70 ships, mostly military, were spotted in the region. Last month, two aircraft carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning, took part in the exercises, with the Liaoning conducting military aircraft take-off and landing exercises in the East China Sea for the first time, the official said.
Chinese patrols also appeared to be approaching Taiwan's 24-nautical-mile border during joint combat exercises that a Taipei spokesman said went far beyond Beijing's defense needs.
According to separate data from Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, about 254 Chinese warships and government vessels were spotted around the archipelago from May 1 to 27, an average of nine per day, according to Bloomberg calculations. That's slightly more than the average of seven per day last year, data show.
Addition
Tensions have been steadily rising since Taiwanese President William Lai took office last May. Beijing, which considers the democratic island part of its territory, has called Lai a separatist and has conducted at least seven military exercises around the island since his inauguration, a pace not seen in previous years.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday called on partners in Asia to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product, warning that more urgent preparations are needed for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
