Chinese naval forces have inundated a huge maritime zone extending from the country's northern shores to the disputed islands of the South China Sea and even further, into the western Pacific.
China has launched the largest naval show of force ever recorded in East Asia, with more than 100 warships and coast guard vessels sailing to strategic points from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific.
According to Reuters, this move, which has not been announced through official military exercises, constitutes a highly aggressive message to Japan and Taiwan, according to four security sources and classified intelligence reports cited by the news agency.
The activity comes amid a deep diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Tokyo, following the statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a Chinese attack against Taiwan could provoke a military response from Japan.
At the same time, China has been enraged by Taiwan's decision to increase its defense budget by $40 billion, a move that Beijing considers a direct provocation.
Huge naval force - Alert in Taiwan
Chinese naval forces have inundated a huge maritime zone extending from the country's northern shores to the disputed islands of the South China Sea and even further, into the western Pacific.
Although the number of vessels fell to 90 on Thursday morning, these movements exceed the corresponding massive formation of December 2024, which at the time had forced Taiwan to raise its alert level.
The head of Taiwan's National Security Bureau, Tsai Ming-yen, confirmed that China is in the most active period of military exercises of the year, revealing that four Chinese naval formations are currently operating in the western Pacific.
Taiwan assures that it has a "complete and real-time" picture of the situation, while strengthening cooperation with its international allies to prevent unilateral actions by Beijing that would destabilize the region.
Show of force
Security sources point out that China began to drastically increase the number of its ships after November 14, when it summoned the Japanese ambassador to formally protest Takaichi's statements.
The timing and the escalation leave little room for doubt: Beijing seems to want to turn the entire East Asia into a demonstration of deterrent power, simultaneously sending a message to Japan, Taiwan, and the US.
"This far exceeds the needs of Chinese national defense and creates risks for all sides," said an official with full knowledge of the situation, emphasizing that Beijing is methodically testing the reactions of the countries in the region through this "unprecedented" naval deployment.
The Japanese Self-Defense Forces avoided any comment on the specific movements of the Chinese fleet, but admitted that Beijing appears to be strengthening its capacity for operations in distant seas and airspaces, as part of the continuous upgrade of its naval power.
Meanwhile, Chinese warships—in combination with fighter jets—conducted simulated attacks against foreign ships, as well as anti-access exercises, attempting to simulate scenarios of blocking reinforcements in case of conflict. This is a clear show of force that increases concern about Beijing's military planning.
Two other sources confirmed that countries in the region are closely monitoring the massive Chinese mobilization, although—for now—they estimate that there is no immediate risk of escalation. "It is a large deployment, indeed. But it looks more like an ambitious 'demonstration cruise' than preparation for conflict," one of the sources characteristically noted.
Despite the unprecedented presence of Chinese vessels in many maritime zones, the number of ships around Taiwan did not register a significant increase, according to the first official and the intelligence information.
China's last officially named exercise around Taiwan took place in April under the name "Strait Thunder-2025," while Beijing never confirmed the massive naval activities of last December.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών