 "Taiwan, Japan raise alarm over China’s maritime deployment; Beijing says operations fully compliant with law")
A day after Reuters reported Beijing had deployed its largest maritime show of force to date, Taiwan and Japan on Friday voiced concern over Chinese military activities in East Asian waters.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that China deployed a significant number of naval and coast guard vessels — at one point more than 100 — across the region, citing sources and intelligence reports reviewed by the news agency.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Taiwan presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said the Chinese operations were not limited to the Taiwan Strait but extended from the Yellow Sea down to waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, and further into the South China Sea and the western Pacific.
“This indeed poses a threat and impact to the Indo-Pacific and the whole region,” Reuters quoted Kuo as saying.
“We also especially call on China to live up to its responsibilities as a major power and to exercise restraint in its actions,” he added.
Kuo said Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had directed the security forces to maintain full situational awareness and provide timely updates.
She added that Taiwan would continue close coordination with friendly partners to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
In Tokyo, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, asked about Chinese activity in the East China Sea, said Japan was aware of the reports and was watching Chinese military movements “with great attention”, while declining to comment on the specific deployment.
“China has been expanding and stepping up its military activities in the areas surrounding Japan, and we make a constant effort to gather and analyse information on Chinese military movements with great attention,” Reuters quoted Koizumi as saying to reporters without giving a time frame of the Chinese activities.
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View All“In any event, the government will continue to monitor developments around Japan with deep concern and will make every effort to ensure thorough information gathering and surveillance,” he said.
China says ’no need to overreact'
China’s military has not commented directly on its recent maritime activities, but foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said navy and coast guard operations in “relevant maritime areas” were fully compliant with domestic and international law.
“There is no need for any party to overreact, overinterpret, or engage in baseless speculation,” Reuters quoted Lin Jian as saying in Beijing.
While November and December are traditionally busy months for Chinese military exercises, the People’s Liberation Army has not officially announced any large-scale drills.
Sources noted that this year’s operations exceed last December’s mass naval deployment, which had prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level.
The surge in activity comes amid heightened China-Japan tensions after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Beijing has also expressed anger over Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s recent announcement of an additional $40 billion in defence spending, aimed at countering China, which Beijing considers Taiwan its territory.
With inputs from agencies
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