TAIWAN: Defense officials in Taiwan say China has deployed nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels in waters stretching from islands in the south of Japan to the South China Sea.
The deployment is the largest to regional waters in almost three decades, Taiwanese officials say, and part of what appears to be a military exercise.
China has not yet commented on the movements or confirmed it is conducting exercises.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Taiwanese defense officials said Beijing’s operation is not only targeting Taipei but aimed at demonstrating its ability to prevent regional countries, including Japan and the Philippines, from coming to the island’s defense.
“The current scale is the largest compared to the previous four [Chinese war games],” Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang told journalists at the press conference.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to achieve its goal of reunification.
There is little to no support for unification with authoritarian China in Taiwan.
Sun said the exercises were the largest since war games were held around the island in response to its first presidential elections in 1996.
In recent days, Taiwan’s defense ministry said it has detected 21 Chinese vessels and 47 Chinese military aircraft operating in the immediate vicinity of the island.
(VOA)
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