Brent Sadler
Why the Secrecy Surrounding China’s Recent Naval Exercises Near Taiwan? – Amid the hysteria over unknown drone swarms sweeping the U.S. mid-Atlantic, a massive and very unusual Chinese naval operation was conducted near Taiwan.
What China Did Near Taiwan
Between December 9-11, over 90 Chinese warships and dozens of aircraft participated in the largest Chinese naval exercise in decades. The drills were made more remarkable by the fact that Beijing made no public statement before, during, or after the operation to explain it.
The first public notice of this unprecedented military operation was the establishment on December 9 of seven airspace exclusion zones stretching from the Yellow Sea, Taiwan Straits and into the South China Sea. That same day, Taiwan defense officials stated large number of warships and significant numbers of aircraft had been engaged in the most widespread Chinese military operation since the third Taiwan crisis (1995-1996). Importantly, Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian remained in port during the operation.
Adding to the intrigue was the lack of any public statement before this massive military operation. Typically, Beijing has signaled such activities as an act of protest against something Taipei or the U.S. did. The only official comment from Beijing on the December operation came from a Chinese military spokesman:
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