China conducted large-scale, unannounced military exercises across the western Pacific in early November, involving more than 100 naval and coast guard vessels and simulated attacks on military targets and cities, including those in Taiwan, according to Taiwanese security officials cited by Reuters.
A senior Taiwanese official said the deployment exceeded the scale of China's previous formally announced Taiwan-focused exercise, Justice Mission 2025.
Unlike earlier operations, Beijing did not publicly announce or name the exercises, which Taiwanese officials described as a campaign of silent intimidation ahead of major international meetings.
The operations reportedly brought together naval formations from China's Eastern, Northern and Southern Theater Commands, suggesting coordinated preparations extending beyond a potential blockade of Taiwan.
A Taiwanese security official also claimed that a Chinese submarine launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea toward a target within mainland China during the exercise.
The missile-launch claim has not been independently verified.
Taiwanese officials said the drills included simulated strikes against other military forces and urban targets, raising concerns about Beijing's ability to coordinate simultaneous operations across multiple maritime regions.
By November 13, the number of Chinese vessels operating within the first island chain had declined to approximately 70, according to two Taiwanese security officials.
Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said formations from all three theater commands, along with the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group, remained active in waters east of the Philippines.
China's Defense Ministry did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on the wider exercises. Beijing has previously characterized Liaoning's western Pacific activities as routine training not directed against any country.
The disclosures come ahead of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, where US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet.
The reported scale and coordination of the drills highlight Taiwan's concerns over China's expanding capacity to conduct operations across the western Pacific.
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