Taiwan reports five Chinese naval vessels operating near its territory

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Thursday reported the operation of five PLAN vessels around Taiwan. The vehicles were detected operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time) on Thursday.

"5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForce have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. Illustration of flight path isn't provided due to no PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan were detected," the Ministry of National Defence said in a post on X.

Earlier on Wednesday, MND reported the operation of three Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels. Of the three People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one of them entered Taiwan's eastern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

On Tuesday, MND reported the operation of eight Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels. The aircraft and vessels were detected operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time) on Tuesday. Of the eight People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six of them crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ.

Meanwhile, following the White House announcement of arms sales and assistance to Taiwan, China's foreign ministry said that the "Taiwan issue" is the core of China's interests and the "first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations," Taiwan News reported.

Further, the ministry also accused the US of "playing with fire."

A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the latest US arms package to Taiwan, stating that it "seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, especially the 'August 17' communique, seriously infringes on China's sovereignty and security interests, and seriously violates the US leaders' commitment not to support "Taiwan independence."

The spokesperson claimed that Washington's actions sent a "seriously wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces."

Recently, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte also criticised China's stance towards Taiwan and said that "China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple societies."

He said, "We need to be clear-eyed about China's ambitions. China is substantially building up its forces, including its nuclear weapons - with no transparency and no limitations. From 200 warheads in 2020, China is expected to have more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. Its space-launch investments are skyrocketing. China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to our critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple our societies."

This incident follows a recent pattern of escalated manoeuvres by China around Taiwan, raising concerns over regional stability as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the island.

In recent weeks, Taiwan has observed an uptick in such military operations, with multiple incidents involving Chinese aircraft crossing into Taiwan's ADIZ. This uptick in activity is viewed as a show of force by Beijing, aimed at intimidating Taiwan amid ongoing diplomatic support from the United States and other international allies.

The Taiwan Strait remains a focal point of heightened tensions, with Taiwanese officials repeatedly condemning the increase in Chinese military operations as a direct threat to the island's sovereignty and regional peace. However, China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.