China masses 100+ ships in major maritime show
China is deploying more than 100 naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters, marking its largest maritime show of force to date, sources told Reuters. The fleet spans the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, and parts of the Pacific.
The deployment comes amid a diplomatic crisis with Japan over Taiwan and Taiwan’s announcement of $40 billion in additional defense spending. While this is China’s traditional year-end drill season, officials say the scale of activity is unprecedented and may test responses in regional capitals, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Taiwan is monitoring four Chinese naval formations in the western Pacific, with authorities assuring the public that national security remains secure. Japan has not reported a sharp rise in Chinese activity but is closely tracking the movements.
Some vessels have carried out mock attacks and practiced access-denial operations, but officials describe the exercises as largely routine despite the unusual scale.
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