Taiwan reports increased Chinese military activity

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it had spotted 53 Chinese military planes around Taiwan, after the island had been on alert for several days.

The Chinese army, which has not yet commented, has not confirmed that it is carrying out military exercises around the island.

Taiwan expects Beijing, which considers the island to be Chinese territory, to launch a new round of military exercises in response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent trip to the Pacific.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that 53 military aircraft had been spotted in the past 24 hours around Taiwan.

Eleven Chinese navy ships and eight “official” boats, a term that refers to vessels of civilian agencies like the coast guard, were also reported.

A U.S. military official said the deployment of Chinese military ships to the South China Sea and East China Sea was significant, but in line with other large-scale exercises held in the past.

An emergency response center was set up and the alert level was raised in Taiwan after China established seven reserved airspace zones and sent naval fleets into waters near Taiwan. ‘island.

(Ben Blanchard and Jeanny Kao; French version Camille Raynaud)