Tension rises in the Taiwan Strait; the island’s military has extended the alert level to “high,” expressing that China limited its airspace and repositioned dozens of coastguard vessels and warships in waters near the island amid news of a potential Chinese military exercise. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated it undertook combat readiness exercises and formed an emergency centre “factoring in enemy threats” in reaction to China’s latest actions.

It has come to light that Beijing currently has about 90 navy and coastguard vessels in waters around Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands, and the East and South China Seas, of which almost two-thirds are navy ships. The Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Mao Ning vowed that Beijing will firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, counting Taiwan as an “inalienable” region of China. For the last weekend, Taiwan has been noting the existence of 14 Chinese warships, seven military airplanes, and at least four balloons, amid assumptions of a likely military exercise by China.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry expressed that six of the aircraft travelled the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unrecognized demarcation area between Taiwan and the PRC. One of the balloons also skimmed over the island’s northern end. Taiwan said Beijing had formed seven zones of mysterious airspace to the east of its eastern Fujian and Zhejiang regions. Such zones are temporarily secured and assigned for a special user during a fixed period, though other flyings can pass through with approval from controllers, according to international laws. 

“Any unilateral and unreasonable, provocative moves could seriously harm peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and that will not be accepted by the international society.”

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry stated. Strains have increased in recent days following Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te’s recent visit to Pacific partners, which included stays in the United States state of Hawaii and its part of Guam. China declares Taiwan, a self-ruled country of 23 million people, as its territory and strands other countries’ legal relations with Taiwan. 

It has also promised to capture Taiwan, via military force if required, dispatching ships and military aircraft near the island practically daily. The US, like most nations, does not recognise Taiwan as a nation but is its major unofficial partner and sells its arms.