Threat to Taiwan: China has launched its largest military drills in thirty years.

China is deploying its largest naval fleet in regional waters in nearly three decades. This poses a more significant threat to Taiwan than previous military activities by Beijing.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters.

A representative from Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, Sun Lifan, stated at a press conference on Tuesday that the scale of the current deployment of Chinese naval forces from the southern Japanese islands to the South China Sea is the largest since Beijing conducted military exercises around Taiwan ahead of the presidential elections in 1996.

The Chinese military has yet to comment or confirm that they are conducting any exercises.

The commencement of such exercises by China was anticipated and served as a reason to express dissatisfaction with President Lai Ching-te's Pacific tour, which concluded on Friday and included stops in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.

Taiwan's military was put on alert on Monday, December 9, following reports that China had reserved airspace and deployed naval and coast guard ships.

"The current exercises are the largest compared to the previous four. Regardless of whether they announced exercises, they pose a significant threat to us," said Sun.

A senior intelligence officer from the ministry, Hsieh Chi-sheng, noted that there have not yet been any live-fire exercises in the seven "reserved" airspace zones of China, two of which are located in the Taiwan Strait. However, significant increases in Chinese activity have been observed in the past 24 hours north of Taiwan.

A source from Reuters within Taiwan's security agencies indicated that the number of Chinese naval and coast guard vessels in the region remains around 90, causing "great concern." The source also added that China is targeting other countries in the region, not just Taiwan.

China's deployment in the First Island Chain, which stretches from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines, and further to Borneo (also known as Kalimantan - the world's third-largest maritime island, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei - ed.), aims to secure coastal waters to prevent interference from foreign forces, Hsieh noted.

Internal Sea

The ministry also mentioned that the Chinese naval forces are building two "walls" in the Pacific Ocean: one at the eastern end of Taiwan's air defense identification zone, and the other further out in the Pacific.

"With these two walls, they are sending a very clear signal: they are trying to make the Taiwan Strait an internal sea of China," stated Hsieh Chi-sheng.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense detected 47 military aircraft conducting flights around the island in the last 24 hours, as well as 12 naval vessels and nine "official" ships, which refers to vessels allegedly belonging to civilian agencies like the coast guard.

According to a map provided by the ministry in its daily morning report on Chinese activities, 26 aircraft flew over areas north of Taiwan off the coast of China's Zhejiang Province, six over the Taiwan Strait, and another 15 southwest of the island.

A high-ranking source in Taiwan's security agencies informed Reuters that Chinese aircraft simulated attacks on foreign naval vessels and practiced destroying military and civilian aircraft as part of "blockade exercises."

Confrontation between Taiwan and China

China considers Taiwan to be its territory, while the island's government is labeled as separatist. In contrast, Taiwan describes itself as a separate state.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly referred to Taiwan as an inseparable part of China.

In mid-October, China began military exercises in the Taiwan Strait off the coast of Taiwan.

Days later, Xi Jinping called for accelerating the preparation of the armed forces for war.

Additionally, Beijing reacted aggressively to a large shipment of military aid from the U.S. to Taiwan.