Exclusive-China massing military ships across region in show of maritime force, sources say

Audio By Carbonatix

By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI, Dec 4 (Reuters) – China is deploying a large number of naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters, at one point more than 100, in the largest maritime show of force to date, according to four sources and intelligence reports reviewed by Reuters.

China is in the middle of what is traditionally a busy season for military exercises, though the People’s Liberation Army has not made any announcements of large-scale officially named drills.

Still, the rise in activity is happening as China and Japan are in a diplomatic crisis after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically-ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Beijing has also been angered by an announcement last month by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te of an extra $40 billion in defence spending to counter China, which views the island as its own territory. 

The Chinese ships have massed in waters stretching from the southern part of the Yellow Sea through the East China Sea and down into the contested South China Sea, as well as into the Pacific, according to four security officials in the region.

Their accounts were corroborated by intelligence reports from a country in the region, which detailed the deployment. Reuters reviewed the reports on condition it did not name the country.

As of Thursday morning, there are more than 90 Chinese ships operating in the region, coming down from more than 100 at one point earlier this week, the documents showed. 

The operations exceed China’s mass naval deployment in December last year that prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level, the sources said.

Tsai Ming-yen, director-general of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, said on Wednesday that China is now in what is generally the most active season for its military drills.

As of Wednesday morning, China has four naval formations operating in the western Pacific, and Taiwan is keeping tabs on them, Tsai said, without giving details.     

“So we must anticipate the enemy as broadly as possible and continue to watch closely for any changes in related activities,” he said, when asked if China could stage any new Taiwan-specific drills before the end of the year.

China’s defence and foreign ministries, as well as its Taiwan Affairs Office, did not respond to requests for comment.

Taiwan has a full and real-time grasp of the security situation in the Taiwan Strait and the broader region and “can ensure there are no concerns for national security”, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement.

Taiwan will continue working closely with international partners to deter any unilateral actions that could threaten regional stability, she added.

‘CREATING RISK’

One of the officials, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said Beijing had begun dispatching a higher than usual number of ships to the region after November 14, when it summoned Japan’s ambassador to protest Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.

“This goes far beyond China’s national defence needs and creates risks for all sides,” said the official briefed on the matter, adding Beijing was testing the responses in regional capitals with the “unprecedented” deployment.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces declined to comment specifically about Chinese military movements, but said it did not assess that there had been a “sharp” increase in activities since November 14.

“Notwithstanding that point, it is believed that the Chinese military is seeking to enhance its ability to conduct operations in more distant maritime and air spaces through the strengthening of its naval power,” it said in a statement.

Together with warplanes, some of the Chinese vessels in the area have carried out mock attacks on foreign ships. They have also practiced access-denial operations aimed at preventing outside forces from sending reinforcements in the event of a conflict, the source said.

Two other sources said countries in the region are tracking the development closely, but added they so far do not think the deployment carries significant risks.

“There’s a big outing,” one of those sources said. “But apparently just routine exercises.”

The number of Chinese ships near Taiwan, however, did not rise significantly, according to the first official and the intelligence reports.

China’s last named war game around Taiwan was in April and called “Strait Thunder-2025”. China never formally confirmed it held drills during last December’s mass naval activity.

(Reporting By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom and Tim Kelly in Tokyo; Editing by Michael Perry)