Sawt Falasteen - Taiwan says China carrying out huge maritime drills

Taiwanese forces were on high alert in anticipation of Beijing's People's Liberation Army staging war games in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's visits to the United States last week.

"Nearly 90" Chinese naval and coast guard ships were currently in waters along the so-called first island chain, which links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines, a senior Taiwanese security official told AFP.

Taiwan's defence ministry said earlier it had also detected 47 Chinese aircraft near the island in the 24 hours to 6:00 am (2200 GMT).

That was the highest number of aircraft detected in a single day since a record 153 reported on October 15, after China staged major military drills in response to Lai's National Day speech days earlier.

Defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said Tuesday the number of Chinese ships in the waters around Taiwan exceeded Beijing's maritime response to then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in 2022.

China has staged four large-scale military exercises in just over two years, including the drills in response to Pelosi's visit and two since Lai took office in May.

"It can indeed be said that the scale of these maritime forces exceeds the four drills since 2022," Sun told reporters.

"The primary military forces used to coerce Taiwan in the past primarily came from the Eastern Theater Command. However, what I am referring to now includes not only the Eastern Theater Command but also forces from the Northern and Southern Theater Commands."

There has been no public announcement by the PLA or Chinese state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait or South China Sea.

However, a Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman said Monday that China would "firmly defend" its sovereignty, as Taiwan kicked off its drills.

Taiwan regards itself as a sovereign nation and has its own government, military and currency.

Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.

- Austin vows support -

Beijing in recent years has asserted its claims over contested territories in the region far more boldly as its military strength has grown.

The escalating actions -- over islands in the East China Sea claimed by Japan, the self-ruled territory of Taiwan, and reefs and islands in the South China Sea that are also claimed by Southeast Asian nations -- have come as Beijing's rivals have drawn closer to the United States.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that China was the "only country in the world that has the intent and, increasingly, the capability to change the rules-based international order."

"And so, you know, we want to see this region, this area remain open to freedom of navigation and the ability to fly the skies and international airways whenever we want to," Austin said, in a speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is stationed off Yokosuka south of Tokyo.

"We're going to continue to work with our allies and partners to ensure that we can do just that."

The United States is Taiwan's most important backer and biggest supplier of arms, but has long maintained "strategic ambiguity" when it comes to putting boots on the ground to defend the island.

Lai said Friday he was "confident" of deeper cooperation with the next Donald Trump administration, a day after he spoke with US Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that angered China.

China's foreign ministry warned Taiwan on Friday that "seeking independence with the help of the United States will inevitably hit a wall", and called on Washington to "cease meddling in Taiwan-related affairs".

Z.AlNajjar--SF-PST