Pakistan(National Times)- Up to 70 Chinese ships, including navy vessels, were monitored from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea from May 1-27, a security official said on the condition of anonymity. Beijing has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan in recent years as it pressures Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty over the island. China has refused to rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control, leaving the island to face the constant threat of invasion. \u201cIts military actions and grey-zone activities have included large-scale deployments across the entire island chain, involving comprehensive maximum pressure,\u201d the security official said in remarks released Monday \u201cOn average, there have been between 50 to 70 naval vessels and government ships as well as hundreds of sorties by various military aircraft continuously conducting harassment operations.\u201d Some of the ships passed through the Miyako Strait to the Western Pacific Ocean for \u201clong-distance training, including combined air-sea exercises\u201d, the official said. Another 30 Chinese vessels with no name, documentation or port of registry were detected near Taiwan\u2019s Penghu archipelago in the Taiwan Strait on May 19 and had been \u201cdeliberately sent to harass\u201d, the official said. And a total of 75 Chinese aircraft were involved in three \u201ccombat readiness patrols\u201d near the island during the month, Taiwan\u2019s defence ministry figures show. Asia-Pacific\u2019s so-called first island chain links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, while the Yellow Sea is west of South Korea \u2014 all partners of the United States and critical to its influence in the region. \u2018More provocative\u2019 The Taiwanese security official said China\u2019s activities in May were \u201cmore provocative than previously observed\u201d. In one incident, Tokyo and Beijing exchanged diplomatic protests each accusing the other of \u201cviolating\u201d national airspace, after a Chinese helicopter and coast guard vessels faced off with a Japanese aircraft around disputed islands. China\u2019s deployment coincided with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te\u2019s speech on May 20 marking his first year in office and came ahead of an annual security forum in Singapore at the weekend. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue that China was \u201ccredibly preparing\u201d to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia. Beijing, which did not send its Defence Minister Dong Jun to the summit, warned Washington \u201cshould not play with fire\u201d. \u201cIt felt like they were in a state where they could announce something at any moment, trying to seize on some opportunity or excuse to act,\u201d the Taiwanese official said of the Chinese. China has carried out several large-scale military drills around Taiwan since Lai took office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pakistan(National Times)- Up to 70 Chinese ships, including navy vessels, were monitored from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea from May 1-27, a security official said on the condition of anonymity. Beijing has ramped up the deployment of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan in recent years as it pressures Taipei to accept […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n