Washington: China’s naval activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea are elevated but consistent with previous large-scale exercises, a U.S. military official stated on Tuesday. Speaking anonymously, the official’s assessment diverged from Taiwan’s claims that these are the largest deployments in nearly three decades.
“The PRC military activity is elevated in the region, consistent with levels we have seen during other large exercises,” the official said, using the People’s Republic of China’s official name.
China’s military has not issued any comments or confirmed ongoing drills. However, analysts had anticipated that China would conduct military exercises to express dissatisfaction with President Lai Ching-te’s Pacific tour, which concluded on Friday and included stopovers in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.
Despite these expectations, the U.S. official emphasized that the current deployments are not linked to Lai’s travels.
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“We do not see the activity in the East China Sea and South China Sea as a response to President Lai’s transit,” the official explained. “This activity is part of a broader increase in the PLA’s military posture and military exercises over the last several years. These activities are destabilizing and risk escalation.”
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China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has regularly increased military pressure around the island, which operates as a democratically governed state. Tensions often rise during sensitive diplomatic engagements involving Taiwan.
