CHINA has deployed 53 naval and other official vessels across a vast stretch of regional waters from south of Japan to areas near Taiwan and the Philippines, a senior Taiwanese security official said.
National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said the deployment included 34 Chinese navy warships and the aircraft carrier Liaoning, according to a map he posted on X on Wednesday.
“We continue to monitor their activities. The simultaneous threat to Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines is clear,” he said.
The map showed the Liaoning and its carrier strike group operating east of the Philippines, while other formations were detected in waters east and south-east of Taiwan, with three more vessels off southern Japan.
Japan’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that it had detected three Chinese warships and a China Coast Guard vessel passing through the narrow Osumi Strait near Kyushu on Tuesday before entering the Pacific Ocean.
Earlier this month, China’s Defence Ministry said the Liaoning was conducting routine exercises that were not directed at any particular country.
Tensions between China, Japan and the Philippines have worsened in recent months, with Beijing objecting to Japan’s support for Taiwan and facing increasingly strained relations with Manila over disputes in the South China Sea.
“We are not comfortable with any show of force aimed at intimidating others that could undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said.
Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, has stepped up efforts to publish detailed information and maps showing the locations of Chinese naval and coast guard operations.
Separately, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said China’s growing military strength was adding pressure and tension in South-East Asia, urging allies and partners to strengthen their ties.
“China has not provided an explanation for why it is doing this, and all of this creates a situation that is putting pressure on us,” he said.
He said countries needed to ensure that the rules governing international relations continued to apply, adding that they enabled middle powers such as Australia to play a meaningful role. - October 30, 2026
