Taiwan tracks more than 50 Chinese ships from southern Japan to the Philippines

Taiwan is monitoring more than 50 Chinese vessels, warships but also coast guard and other state-agency ships, moving at the same time across a wide sea area from the south of Japan to the waters off the Philippines. The picture was given on Wednesday, October 28 by Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, who spoke of an “obvious” threat to three countries at once.

“The People’s Liberation Army is sending groups of ships, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group, for exercises east of the first island chain. We remain vigilant about their activities. The simultaneous threat to Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines is obvious,” Wu wrote on X.

The map accompanying the post, dated October 28, shows 53 ships, 34 of them Chinese Navy warships and the rest coast guard and other state-agency vessels. The Liaoning (CV-16) formation appears east of Luzon, while the far-seas formations of the Eastern, Northern and Southern Theatre Commands are marked separately, east and south-east of Taiwan, along with three ships off southern Japan. Dense concentrations of ships are also visible in the East China Sea and west of the Philippines, where coast guard vessels outnumber warships. Wu had published a similar map in May.

Taipei’s and Tokyo’s tallies

On Thursday, October 29, Defence Minister Wellington Koo told reporters at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei that Taiwan “does not look favourably on any attempt at deterrence projection that could undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific”. As The Japan Times reports, Koo added that his ministry is exchanging information with partners and “maintains appropriate awareness” of the activity of Chinese warships.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense daily report for the 24 hours to 06:00 Thursday recorded around the island 7 Chinese Navy ships, one “official” ship and 6 aircraft sorties, 5 of which entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in its northern, central and south-western parts. The ministry’s map shows five sorties by fighters and drones between 09:35 and 17:20 on Wednesday, four of them crossing the median line of the Strait. Taiwan’s armed forces responded with combat air patrol aircraft, Navy ships and coastal missile systems.

Japan is also tracking the movements. The Joint Staff of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces announced that on October 27 a Renhai-class destroyer, a Luyang III-class destroyer, a Jiangkai II-class frigate and a Chinese coast guard vessel passed through the Osumi Strait heading into the Pacific. The same day two more pairs passed between Okinawa and Miyako: a Luyang III with a Jiangkai II, and a Renhai with a Fuchi-class replenishment ship. On Wednesday, October 28, Japanese fighters scrambled for a Chinese BZK-005 reconnaissance drone and two Y-9 aircraft over the East China Sea.

China’s Ministry of National Defense had said earlier in October that the Liaoning is carrying out routine training not directed at any country. The carrier’s Pacific missions follow a steady pattern of passages between the Japanese islands, and Chinese ships also appeared during the Keen Sword 27 exercise of Japan and the United States. China’s relations with Japan and the Philippines have worsened in recent months, with Tokyo openly backing Taiwan and Manila in constant confrontation with Beijing in the South China Sea.