Taiwan On Edge As China Stages Largest Military Drills Since '96

China massed dozens of navy and coast guard vessels in what appears to be the largest maritime exercises targeting Taiwan and the broader Western Pacific since 1996, a potent warning to the incoming Trump administration of China’s increasingly aggressive stance in the region.

China’s military didn’t announce the start of any drills. But Taiwanese authorities said Tuesday they were seeing “major elements of a military drill” over a vast expanse of air and sea near Taiwan.

As of Tuesday morning, nearly 100 Chinese warships and vessels—involving several thousand personnel—were spotted across the South China Sea, in the waters surrounding Japan and South Korea, and around Taiwan, according to Taiwanese security officials. This is likely the first time such a large-scale maritime operation has involved multiple Chinese theater commands and its coast guard, one of the officials said.Additionally, Russian ships were spotted near Japan and South Korea, they said.

The maneuvers come in the wake of President Lai Ching-te’s recent visit to Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam as part of his first international tour as president—a visit that China sharply criticized. However, Beijing’s larger goal was to send a signal to the incoming Trump administration that it intends to remain the dominant force in the region, the officials said.

The Chinese Communist government considers Taiwan part of China, despite having never ruled there, and has pledged to take it by force if necessary. China vehemently opposes contact between Taiwan and American officials.

Before Lai’s departure, Beijing vowed to “resolutely crush any ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists,” a label Beijing applies to Lai.

The maneuvers are “a significant security challenge to us,” said Maj. Gen. Sun Li-fang, the spokesman for Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. “The threats aren’t just aimed at Taiwan. They’re also a threat to other countries in the region.”