China's Military Drills in Pacific Raise Tensions as Taiwan and Allies Respond

Taiwan closely monitors Chinese military drills with Shandong aircraft carrier

Taiwan's defense ministry is closely monitoring Chinese military movements after a surge in warplanes joined drills with China's Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific. These exercises coincide with a NATO summit in Washington where China is being criticized for its support of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The Chinese carrier, the Shandong, passed close to the Philippines on its way to the Pacific exercises. Taiwan's defense ministry detected 66 Chinese military aircraft operating around the island, with 39 passing to the south and southeast. The ministry also released pictures of a Chinese J-16 fighter and a nuclear-capable H-6 bomber.

Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has complained of repeated Chinese military activity over the past four years as Beijing seeks to pressure the island. China's defense ministry has not responded to requests for comment on the Shandong's activities.

Meanwhile, Japan's Self Defense Forces tracked two Russian frigates passing between two of its islands at the western end of its Okinawa chain close to Taiwan. China and the Philippines are also locked in a confrontation in the disputed South China Sea.

U.S. allies Australia and Japan have been stepping up their military activities. The Philippines Air Force arrived in northern Australia for combat practice alongside U.S. and Australian fighter jets. A Japanese navy destroyer also made a rare entry into China's territorial waters near Taiwan earlier this month without notifying China.