Taiwan's presidential office is calling apparent unannounced Chinese military drills a "blatant disruption of the status quo" and says the maneuvers are affecting international trade.
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00:00A sudden spike in Chinese military activity close to Taiwan.
00:04On Wednesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported 53 Chinese warplanes near the country.
00:11That's the largest single-day number since October, when China sent a record 153 aircraft
00:17in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-tung's National Day speech.
00:21A day earlier, some 90 Chinese ships were seen in waters around Taiwan.
00:26It's the largest naval fleet China has deployed in almost 30 years.
00:31Taiwan's presidential office says these apparent unannounced drills represent an alarming and
00:36destabilizing development.
00:37China's actions are a blatant violation of the Indo-Pacific region's security and stability
00:43status, and a sign of concern for the international community.
00:46In the past few years, China has grown increasingly aggressive in conducting drills in response
00:50to what it views as separatist activity by Taiwan, such as exchanges between government
00:56leaders.
00:57And many expected a Chinese reaction after Taiwan's president recently spoke with U.S.
01:01officials while transiting in Hawaii and Guam during a tour of the country's Pacific allies.
01:07But it's unusual for China to carry out maritime drills unannounced, which is what appears
01:12to be happening this time around.
01:15When asked about the military operations, China's Taiwan Affairs Office remained tight-lit.
01:20We have no comment on this kind of speculation.
01:25Since Monday, Beijing has set up seven temporary reserve zones along its coast, spanning 1,000
01:31kilometers off the coastline of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
01:35These sorts of restrictions on civilian and foreign vessels are often a sign of military
01:39exercises taking place.
01:42But no official announcement has been made, and Taiwan's defense ministry says it has
01:46not detected any live fire in these areas.
01:50The ministry says the Chinese ship's maneuvers appear to be practice for a blockade of Taiwan,
01:55and that the operations are disrupting international trade.
01:59For now, authorities in Taiwan remain on high alert as they monitor how the situation develops.
02:04Howard Zhang and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.