China deploys 100+ vessels near Taiwan

Taiwan National Security Council chief Joseph Wu said on Saturday, May 23, that China had deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the Western Pacific. Wu posted the claim on X and shared a map dated May 23 marked “China’s Maritime Deployment.” Reuters and other outlets citing Taiwanese officials said the concentration had built over the past several days. Taiwanese officials said the vessels were not confined to the Taiwan Strait. The reported operating area ran from waters off the Korean Peninsula southward through seas around China’s coast and into the Western Pacific, according to Wu’s post and follow-up reporting. A Taiwanese official cited by AFP said Chinese vessels had been detected before the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the total rose above 100 in recent days. (english.aawsat.com) ### Where did Taiwan say the ships were operating? Joseph Wu said the ships were spread across a wide arc of regional waters rather than massed at a single point near Taiwan. His May 23 post described deployments from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the Western Pacific, and the map he shared showed contacts dispersed across that span. (english.aawsat.com) The wording matters because Taiwan’s account described a regional maritime posture, not only a localized drill. Reports based on Taiwanese officials referred to navy, coast guard and other vessels, but did not identify classes or individual hulls. ### Did Taiwan say this started after the Trump-Xi meeting? (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Taiwanese officials linked the timing to the days after Trump’s meeting with Xi in Beijing, but they also said some vessel activity had begun earlier. Wu wrote that the deployment happened in the past few days after the leaders’ meeting. A Taiwanese official speaking anonymously said Chinese ships had been detected before the summit, with numbers rising above 100 only in recent days. (english.aawsat.com) Wu used the post to criticize Beijing’s conduct. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” he wrote on X. ### Did Taiwan confirm it sent about 100 ships in response? Publicly available reporting reviewed for this story confirms Taiwan said it was monitoring and responding, but it does not firmly verify a separate official statement that Taipei positioned about 100 ships of its own. (english.aawsat.com) The social-media claim circulating on May 22 appears to compress Taiwan’s broader response language with the reported Chinese vessel count. (malaymail.com) Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense routinely publishes daily tallies of Chinese aircraft and vessels and says it responds with aircraft, naval ships and coastal missile systems. In a May 21 report, Taiwan said it had tracked 24 Chinese military aircraft, six naval vessels and three official ships in the previous 24 hours and had deployed forces accordingly. (english.aawsat.com) ### What has Beijing said? China claims Taiwan as its territory and has repeatedly sent military aircraft and ships near the island. The material reviewed here did not include a fresh detailed Chinese government response to Wu’s May 23 statement. Reuters-based and AFP-based reports instead focused on Taiwan’s account of the deployment and the map released by Wu. (taiwannews.com.tw) May 23 is the key date for the current claim: that is when Wu published the allegation and map. The next concrete markers are Taiwan’s daily military activity releases and any formal statement from China’s defense or foreign ministries responding to Wu’s account. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (english.aawsat.com)