Taipei [Taiwan], September 3 (ANI): Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said on Thursday that it detected five PLAN vessels and three official ships operating around its territory.
Sharing the details in a post on X, the MND said that it monitored the situation and responded.
“5 PLAN vessels and 3 official ships operating around #Taiwan detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded. No flight path illustration is provided, as we did not detect #PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan during this timeframe.”
https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/2095315844649640040
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the MND said that it recorded 1 sortie of PLA aircraft, 5 PLAN vessels and 3 official ships operating around Taiwan, detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8).
China has sharply increased the presence of coast guard, research and other civilian vessels around Taiwan, with the scale of activity reaching levels described as unprecedented by maritime security experts.
According to data cited by Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA), 244 Chinese vessels were detected in waters around Taiwan last month, compared with 55 in June and 30 in May. The Taipei Times reported that the figure represents an average of nearly eight Chinese vessels operating in the area every day.
Around 60 per cent of the vessels detected last month were Chinese coast guard ships, while the figures did not include Chinese naval vessels, which are regularly deployed around Taiwan. The Taipei Times noted that 152 Chinese vessels were detected during the first 21 days of this month, taking the total number recorded since May to 1,247.
A CGA official described the situation as becoming “increasingly severe,” highlighting growing concerns over Beijing’s expanding maritime activities around the island.
The increasing involvement of Chinese research vessels has also drawn attention. Ryan D. Martinson of the US Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute said data collected by civilian research institutes can be shared with China’s military and is particularly valuable for submarine and anti-submarine warfare. While he said the tactic itself is not new, its current scale is unprecedented. The Taipei Times cited Martinson as saying the operations demonstrate an escalation in Beijing’s efforts to assert jurisdiction over waters around Taiwan while placing additional pressure on its leadership. (ANI)
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