Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense (MND) detected eight Chinese naval ships in the waters around the island nation, on Tuesday morning. By 6 a.m., Taiwan had deployed its naval ships and coastal-based missile systems to closely monitor the movements of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vessels.
In a post on X, Taiwan’s MND stated, “We detected 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces has monitored the situation and responded accordingly. No flight path illustration is provided due to no PLA aircraft crossing the median line.” This observation follows a similar one on Monday, indicating a concerning pattern of increased Chinese naval activity near Taiwan.
The presence of these Chinese naval assets highlights the persistent geopolitical tensions between Taiwan and China. China, which has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan, has intensified its military activities around the island, raising alarms in Taipei about Beijing’s potential ambitions to reunify Taiwan with the mainland by force if necessary.
Chinese military aircraft, warships, and drones have increasingly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, traditionally an unofficial boundary between China and Taiwan, since former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
According to Taiwan News, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 247 times and naval vessels 114 times so far this month. Since September 2020, China has escalated its use of “grey zone” tactics, gradually increasing the number of military assets operating around Taiwan. These tactics aim to achieve security objectives without direct and substantial use of force, further heightening the tension in the region.