Taiwan, Japan expressed concern over developments around Japan with deep concern and will make every effort to ensure thorough information gathering and surveillance,” he said.
China’s military has not commented, but Lin Jian, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry, said navy and coast guard activities in “relevant maritime areas” adhered strictly to domestic and international law.
“There is no need for any party to overreact, overinterpret, or engage in baseless speculation,” he said in Beijing.
November and December are traditionally a busy season for Chinese military exercises, though the People’s Liberation Army has not made any announcements of large-scale officially named drills.
The operations exceed China’s mass naval deployment in December last year that prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level, the sources said.
The rise in activity is happening as China and Japan are in a diplomatic crisis after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Beijing has also been angered by an announcement last month by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te of an extra $40 billion in defense spending to counter China, which views the island as its own territory over Taiwan’s strong rejection.
