Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that six Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships were spotted operating near the island around 6 a.m. local time.According to the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces assessed the activity and responded accordingly.The Ministry of Defense said in X’s post, “As of 6 a.m. this morning (UTC+8), 6 PLA ships were detected operating around Taiwan. The Armed Forces of the Republic of China have monitored the situation and responded. No flight route map has been provided as we have not detected PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan during this period.”The Ministry of National Defense said no Chinese military aircraft were sighted around Taiwan during the reporting period.The latest sighting follows a similar report issued by the Defense Department on Tuesday, when six Chinese naval vessels were also spotted operating near the island’s waters.The repeated naval activity comes against the backdrop of China’s ongoing military operations around Taiwan, which Taipei has been closely monitoring in recent years.Taipei has taken steps to strengthen its defenses against a potential blockade or invasion by China. According to a Reuters report on June 4, Taiwan plans to expand its anti-ship missile arsenal to more than 1,800 missiles by early 2029.The inventory will mainly include Harpoon missiles provided by the United States and domestically produced Xiongfeng missiles. Analysts say the expanded arsenal could help create a “kill zone” in the Taiwan Strait, allowing Taiwan to inflict heavy losses on any invading force.In addition, according to Taiwanese media reports, Taiwan’s first domestically produced submarine recently set off from Kaohsiung Port for a new round of sea trials.
