Taiwan Raises Concerns about Situation ‘Getting Out of Hand’ with China Drills

 Taiwanese soldiers salute during a drill in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP)
Taiwanese soldiers salute during a drill in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP)
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Taiwan Raises Concerns about Situation ‘Getting Out of Hand’ with China Drills

 Taiwanese soldiers salute during a drill in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP)
Taiwanese soldiers salute during a drill in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP)

The increased frequency of China's military activities around Taiwan recently has raised the risk of events "getting out of hand" and sparking an accidental clash, the island's defense minister said on Saturday.

Taiwan has said that the past two weeks has seen dozens of fighters, drones, bombers and other aircraft, as well as warships and the Chinese carrier the Shandong, operating nearby.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has in recent years carried out many such drills around the island, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims and pressure Taipei.

Asked by reporters on the sidelines of parliament whether there was a risk of an accidental incident sparking a broader conflict given the frequency of the Chinese activities, Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said: "This is something we are very worried about".

Warships from China's southern and eastern theater commands have been operating together off Taiwan's east coast, he added.

"The risks of activities involving aircraft, ships, and weapons will increase, and both sides must pay attention," Chiu said.

China has not commented about the drills around Taiwan, and its defense ministry has not responded to requests for comment.

Chiu said that when the Shandong was out at sea, which Taiwan first reported on Sept. 11, it was operating as the "opposing force" in the drills. Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang added that China's Eastern Theatre Command forces were the "attacking force", simulating a battle scenario.

Taiwan's traditional military planning for a potential conflict has been to use its mountainous east coast, especially the two major air bases there, as a place to regroup and preserve its forces given it does not directly face China unlike the island's west coast.

But China has increasingly been flexing its muscles off Taiwan's east coast, and generally displaying its ability to operate much further away from China's own coastline.

China normally performs large-scale exercises from July to September, Taiwan's defense ministry has said.

On Saturday the ministry said China had largely dialed back its drills, reporting that over the previous 24-hour period it had only spotted two Chinese aircraft operating in its air defense zone.

Taiwan has frequently said that it would remain calm and not escalate the situation, but that it won't allow "repeated provocations" from China, whose forces have so far not entered Taiwan's territorial seas or airspace.



NATO's Rutte Visits Odesa, Says Support for Ukraine Unwavering

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, pose for photos with a wounded Ukrainian soldier during their visit to a hospital in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, pose for photos with a wounded Ukrainian soldier during their visit to a hospital in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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NATO's Rutte Visits Odesa, Says Support for Ukraine Unwavering

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, pose for photos with a wounded Ukrainian soldier during their visit to a hospital in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, center, pose for photos with a wounded Ukrainian soldier during their visit to a hospital in Odesa, Ukraine, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he had visited the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday and declared NATO's support for Ukraine was unwavering.

Rutte's visit was a show of solidarity with Kyiv following a Russian missile strike on the northern city of Sumy on Sunday that killed 35 people and wounded more than 100.

"Ukraine’s people have endured so much - not least Russia's Palm Sunday attack on Sumy. NATO support is unwavering," Rutte said in a post on social media platform X.

"We will continue to help Ukraine so it can defend today and deter future aggression, ensuring a just and lasting peace."

The trip took place as the United States - NATO's dominant power - is seeking to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and it followed fresh criticism of Zelenskiy by US President Donald Trump.

Zelenskiy said he and Rutte had visited a hospital where Ukrainian soldiers were recovering from their wounds.

"We spoke with our warriors. I presented state awards to our defenders. I am grateful to our guys for their strength, resilience, and for protecting our people," he said on X.

"I also presented awards to the combat medics," he added. "I thank everyone who defends, treats, endures, and supports Ukraine. You are our strength."