Eleven Chinese ships were detected in twenty-four hours around Taiwan, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday, a record since the start of the year.
In the 24 hours before 6 a.m. Wednesday (10 p.m. GMT Tuesday), China sent 15 military planes, 11 warships and a balloon around the island, the ministry said.
At least 15 additional Chinese warplanes have since been detected, according to the same source.
This is a record since the start of the year because, usually, between four and six Chinese ships are detected in a twenty-four hour window, according to official Taiwan data.
Heightened tensions
In December, 11 Chinese ships were spotted around Taiwan in the run-up to the presidential elections, won in January by Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing described as a
“separatist”
.
On Monday, a Chinese maritime surveillance ship and four Chinese coast guard boats briefly entered waters around Kinmen, according to Kuan Bi-ling, Taiwan's minister in charge of ocean affairs.
This upsurge in activity comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei after a fatal incident at sea involving a Taiwanese coast guard vessel.
A Chinese speedboat carrying four people capsized on February 14 near Taiwan's Kinmen Islands while being pursued by the Taiwan Coast Guard, resulting in the death of two Chinese fishermen.
The other two crew members were rescued and temporarily detained in Kinmen.
Beijing accused the Taiwanese authorities of
“seeking to evade responsibility and hide the truth”
about this incident.
According to statements from the Taiwanese Coast Guard, the Chinese boat involved was zigzagging,
“lost its balance and capsized”
while trying to escape the patrol vessel.