Joseph Wu, Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, has remarked that over 50 Chinese military and other ships—located in the waters between southern Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines—represent a “clear threat.” Reuters quotes his comments: “We are keeping a close eye on their actions.”
Matthew Fang
As reported by the news agency, on October 28, Joseph Wu shared a map on the social media platform X indicating the positions of 53 ships, 34 of which are military, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning. The map shows that the aircraft carrier and its support battle group were situated east of the Philippines, while other formations were found east and southeast of Taiwan, and three ships were close to Japan’s southern coast. The official had posted a comparable map on the same platform previously in May.
China’s, the Philippines’, and Japan’s defense ministries did not promptly reply to requests for comments from Reuters.
In October, China’s Ministry of Defense mentioned that the Liaoning was engaged in regular, planned drills not aimed at any particular nation, the agency observes.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister, Wellington Koo, informed reporters that his department has “sustained a suitable level of vigilance” concerning the actions of Chinese naval ships and has been exchanging intelligence with allies.
The U.S. military in the Pacific has been readying the Indo-Pacific area for possible military events, working under the belief that the situation might intensify as soon as next year, reports the American military newspaper Stars and Stripes, referencing U.S. Army forces in the Pacific commander Ronald Clark, as noted by Reuters.
source: reuters.com
