TAIWAN-DEFENSE-EXERCISE
Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo stated that the ROC Armed Forces are closely monitoring military exercises in multiple sea areas along the Chinese coast. Taiwan's initial assessment is that these activities are primarily taking place along the Chinese coast, but the ROC Armed Forces will continue to monitor the situation and prepare for any contingencies.

China will conduct military drills in several coastal maritime areas this week. Defense Minister Wellington Koo said on Oct. 12 that Taiwan’s armed forces were closely monitoring developments. Initial assessments indicate that the drills are mainly taking place along China’s coast and may involve units such as shore-based artillery, but the military will continue tracking all related activities and preparing for a range of scenarios.

According to a Reuters report on Oct. 12, China’s maritime authorities recently issued navigation warnings announcing that the drills would take place this week in five maritime areas. The zones extend from the South China Sea to waters near northeastern Liaoning province, with the exercises expected to continue through Oct. 17.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said preliminary assessments show that the activities are concentrated along China’s coast rather than directly in waters around Taiwan. Koo, however, stressed that the armed forces would assess the situation against the broadest range of possible threats and would not ease monitoring of China’s military movements simply because the drills are taking place farther from Taiwan.

Navigation warnings issued for five maritime areas

The drill zones announced by China cover the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea and Bohai Sea. Taiwan said the areas are widely dispersed and that the armed forces are continuing to collect information to assess the nature of the drills, the units that may be involved and their potential impact on surrounding air and maritime activity.

According to a Central News Agency report, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry assessed that the drills mainly involve artillery and other units stationed along China’s coast. Taiwan’s maritime authorities also said some of the drill zones are in coastal waters off China and are located at a distance from waters around Taiwan.

Publicly available information so far does not indicate that the drills are taking place directly in waters around Taiwan. Their actual impact on regional shipping, airspace or military deployments will have to be assessed in light of subsequent notices and developments on the ground.

Cross-strait military activity remains under scrutiny

China has continued military activities around Taiwan in recent years, while Taiwan has responded to regional risks through intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, combat readiness preparations and international security cooperation.

The drills are also taking place during Taiwan’s National Day period. President Lai Ching-te said in a National Day address earlier this month that Taiwan hopes to preserve peace but will not give up its freedom and democracy. China criticized the remarks and reiterated its opposition to what it calls “Taiwan independence” and interference by external forces.

There is currently no public evidence indicating a direct causal link between the coastal drills and Taiwan’s National Day address.

For Taiwan, continuing to track military activity along China’s coast will help assess potential risks and maintain the armed forces’ ability to respond. In the coming days, the drills’ actual scope, troop movements and any further statements from Beijing will be important indicators for assessing the regional security situation.