Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced on Wednesday that it detected six Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy vessels operating around the island as of 6 a.m. local time. The MND stated that its armed forces assessed the activity and responded accordingly.
In a post on X, the MND said, "6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded. No flight path illustration is provided, as we did not detect PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan during this timeframe." The ministry confirmed that no Chinese military aircraft were detected in the area during the reporting period.
This latest sighting follows a similar report from the MND on Tuesday, which also detected six PLAN vessels near Taiwan's waters. The repeated naval activity occurs amid ongoing Chinese military operations around Taiwan, which Taipei has closely monitored in recent years.
Taiwan's Defense Enhancements
Taipei has taken steps to strengthen its defenses against a potential Chinese blockade or invasion. According to a Reuters report published on June 4, Taiwan plans to expand its anti-ship missile arsenal to over 1,800 missiles by early 2029. This stockpile will largely consist of US-supplied Harpoon missiles and domestically produced Hsiung Feng missiles. Analysts suggest that the expanded arsenal could help establish a 'kill zone' in the Taiwan Strait, enabling Taiwan to inflict significant losses on any invading force.
Separately, Taiwan's first domestically built submarine recently departed from the port of Kaohsiung for another round of sea trials, according to Taiwanese media reports.
