Military

Japan, Taiwan Monitoring China's Increased Maritime Activities

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By Fuhua Hung/Alan Lu

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Japan and Taiwan are closely watching China’s increase in maritime activity, after media reports said Beijing has deployed a large number of vessels across East Asian waters.

Japan and Taiwan on Alert Over Increased Chinese Naval Presence

 

REPORTER:  

A hundred naval and coast guard ships. That’s the highest numbers of vessels China has recently sent to its nearby waters.

 

An earlier Reuters report shows Chinese vessels have surged from the Yellow Sea, through the contested South China Sea, and out into the western Pacific.

 

And this has triggered responses from surrounding countries, including Taiwan.

 

Karen Kuo (SPOKESPERSON, PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE):  

The president has instructed the defense ministry as well as the relevant national security agencies to have be completely on top of the situation and provide real-time reports.

 

REPORTER:  

Japan has also spoken out, saying it’s been closely monitoring China’s naval activities but offered no further comments.

 

The maritime pressure comes as China and Japan are in the middle of a diplomatic row, after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo.

 

Koizumi Shinjiro (JAPANESE DEFENSE MINISTER):  

China has been expanding and intensifying its military activities around Japan. While we maintain a high level of vigilance regarding China's military movements and continuously gather and analyze information, we refrain from commenting on each specific case.

 

REPORTER:  

Analysts say China has long been preparing to respond to conflicts in multiple regions at the same time.

 

Yang Tai-yuan (DEFENSE ANALYST, SECURE TAIWAN ASSOCIATE CORP.):  

We can take a closer look at whether China has the capability to simultaneously apply pressure on Japan and operate in the waters around Taiwan and examine whether it can at the same time conduct a related large-scale military exercise.

 

REPORTER:  

In response to the concerns, China’s foreign ministry says the activities are in line with the international law, and says there’s no need to “overreact.”

 

But Chinese military pressure continues in the Taiwan Strait, as Taiwan reported 29 Chinese aircraft and 6 vessels operating nearby from Friday to Saturday morning.

 

With this Chinese military pressure, President Lai Ching-te proposed a record-high 40 billion US dollar special defense budget, to better prepare Taiwan’s defense.