Taiwan raises alert as China deploys 90 warships in waters near island

Reuters reported the information.

The Chinese Armed Forces have deployed about 90 ships in the waters around Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands, and the East and South China Seas as part of military exercises. 

According to a senior Taiwanese security official, about two-thirds of these vessels are from the navy.

A Taiwanese security official noted that the scale of the Chinese navy and coast guard deployment was larger than during the two previous major exercises around Taiwan this year, called Joint Sword 2024-A and Joint Sword 2024-B.

"For the first time they are targeting the entire island chain," the source said, referring to an area that runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas. "They are meant to achieve total military intimidation by positioning to control the inner part of the island chain."

China has also established seven zones of reserved airspace in the east of its Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. 

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry noted that these zones will be in effect from Monday to Wednesday. Such zones are temporarily reserved and allocated to a specific user for a certain period, although other flights can pass through them with the permission of controllers, in accordance with international rules.

According to the Taiwanese military, in response to China's actions, they have stepped up their exercises in strategic areas and are monitoring enemy military activity.

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry emphasized that "any unilateral and irrational, provocative actions could seriously damage peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and that will not be welcomed by the international community."

• On December 8, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said that China had almost doubled the number of its warships around the island in the past 24 hours.