China deploys over 100 vessels

Taiwan said on May 23 that China had deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels across regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific. Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said the deployment had taken place in the previous few days and described it as pressure on the island’s security environment. Taiwan’s defense ministry separately reported 16 Chinese aircraft and eight vessels near Taiwan in the latest 24-hour period, while Taiwan’s coast guard said on May 24 a Chinese coast guard ship withdrew from waters near the Pratas Islands after a standoff. ### Where did Taiwan say the vessels were operating? Taiwan’s security officials said the vessels were spread across a broad arc from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and into the western Pacific. Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s top national security official, said on X that the concentration included navy, coast guard and other ships and threatened regional peace and stability, according to reports citing his statement. (straitstimes.com) More than 100 vessels would make the deployment one of Beijing’s larger recent maritime shows of force around Taiwan, based on Taiwan’s description. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects. ### What did Taiwan’s defense ministry report near the island itself? (straitstimes.com) Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it tracked 16 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels in the 24 hours ending on May 23. Taiwan News, citing the ministry, said 13 of the 16 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zone. (straitstimes.com) The median line once served as an unofficial buffer in the Taiwan Strait, but Chinese aircraft now cross it regularly. Taiwan’s military said it responded by deploying aircraft, naval ships and coastal missile systems. ### What happened near the Pratas Islands? Taiwan’s coast guard said on May 24 that one Chinese coast guard ship entered waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, also known as Dongsha, at the top of the South China Sea. (taiwannews.com.tw) Reuters reported that Taiwanese and Chinese coast guard vessels were involved in a tense standoff and verbal sparring before the Chinese ship left the area on Sunday. The Pratas Islands sit more than 400 kilometers from Taiwan and are seen by some security analysts as exposed because of their location. Taiwan’s government has increased attention to the islands as Chinese military and coast guard activity around Taiwan has intensified over the past five years. (usnews.com) ### Why are Taiwanese officials calling this “grey-zone” pressure? Joseph Wu and other Taiwanese officials have said China is using repeated military and maritime operations to pressure Taiwan without triggering open conflict. Reuters’ report on the Pratas incident said such encounters fit the pattern of “grey-zone” coercion — operations that probe, harass and test responses below the threshold of war. (usnews.com) Taiwan’s reporting over the weekend showed that pattern in several forms at once: a broad regional vessel deployment, aircraft crossing the median line, and a coast guard confrontation near an outlying island group. Taiwanese officials say those actions are aimed at changing facts on the ground, or at sea, through repetition and presence. (usnews.com) ### What comes next? Taiwan’s defense ministry is expected to continue publishing its daily updates on Chinese aircraft and vessel activity around the island. Taiwan’s coast guard and military are also likely to keep watch on the Pratas area after the May 24 withdrawal of the Chinese coast guard ship. (taiwannews.com.tw) (straitstimes.com)