TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) confirmed on Tuesday (Dec. 10) that a significant number of Chinese military vessels have been spotted maneuvering between Pacific island chains surrounding Taiwan. Although China has not officially announced military exercises, the ministry noted that the Chinese military has already commenced a drill.
Over the past 24 hours, Taiwan's military detected 47 military aircraft operating around the island, along with 12 navy vessels and nine "official" ships, such as the coast guard. Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升), deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, explained China's deployment in the First Island Chain. This chain, running from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines, and on to Borneo, is aimed at area denial to prevent foreign forces from interfering.
The ministry reported that China's navy is constructing two "walls" in the Pacific, one at the eastern end of Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone and another further out in the Pacific. Hsieh explained that "they are sending a very simple message with these two walls: trying to make the Taiwan Strait an internal sea" of China.
Taiwan's military readiness remains a focal point as tensions escalate, with ongoing exercises designed to fortify its defensive capabilities against potential threats. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) reject Beijing's sovereignty claims, asserting that only Taiwan's people can decide their future. China maintains that the Taiwan issue is the "core of its core interests," a red line the United States should not cross. China has conducted two rounds of major war games around Taiwan this year.
