Other areas of activity included off Taiwan’s southeastern coast, home to a major Taiwanese air base, and to the southwest of Taiwan at the top part of the South China Sea where the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands are located.
There were also 14 Chinese navy ships and 12 “official ships” – which refer to the coast guard and other military adjacent vessels – spotted, the ministry said.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Premier Cho Jung-tai said the drills were not just a Taiwan issue.
“Any drills without prior warning will cause great disturbance to peace and stability in the entire region,” he said.
“China’s drills not only affect Taiwan’s neighbourhood, but also seriously affect the entire international navigational rights and air and sea space, so attracted the attention of other countries.”
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims, and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
“NEW LEVEL OF AGGRESSION”: EXPERT
Every major exercise by China becomes more sophisticated and involves more platforms, which extends to Chinese military activity around Taiwan, said political scientist Oriana Skylar Mastro.
Beijing has reached a point of relying on such military coercions to respond to big events like Lai’s speech, said the Center Fellow from Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
“In my discussions with members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, they say that the strategy is really to show Taiwan that there is no chance of defence by constantly bombarding them with this image of how much just more sophisticated, large and capable the Chinese military is to Taiwan’s military,” she told CNA’s Asia First programme.
