China Stages Unannounced Pacific Drills Around Taiwan in ‘Silent Intimidation’, Taipei Says

China staged a large, unannounced military exercise across the western Pacific and around Taiwan in early November, massing more than 100 warships and coast guard vessels in what officials in Taipei have described as a campaign of “silent intimidation” ahead of major international meetings. The China Taiwan military drills, revealed on Friday, are among the largest Chinese naval deployments ever recorded around the island.

FAKTA

• What happened: China carried out a large, unannounced military exercise across the western Pacific and around Taiwan in early November 2026.
• Scale: More than 100 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels massed in the region at one point, according to a senior Taiwan security official.
• Forces involved: Coordinated naval forces from China’s eastern, northern and southern theatre commands, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group.
• Taipei’s description: Officials in Taiwan call it “silent intimidation” — pressure without a formal announcement.
• Beijing’s position: China says the carrier is on “routine” exercises not directed at any country; President Xi Jinping urged peaceful “reunification” in a speech on Thursday.
• Current status: Around 70 vessels were still operating within the first island chain on Friday, with the Liaoning group east of the Philippines.

What happened in the China Taiwan military drills

A senior Taiwan security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China’s military and coast guard had at one point massed more than 100 vessels in the region early this month. The drills included simulated attacks on other militaries and cities, including Taiwan’s, the official said.

The deployment was larger than “Justice Mission 2025”, China’s last formally named drills targeting Taiwan nearly a year ago, and one of the largest Chinese naval deployments to date, according to the official.

During the latest drills, a Chinese submarine also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea, landing in mainland China, the official said.

“It is a silent exercise — and in effect, silent intimidation,” the official said. “This is like a robber hiding a gun in the pocket of a coat — with the muzzle pointed at the bank teller. It scares the teller into handing over the money, while avoiding setting off the alarm and bringing in a large police response.”

A scale larger than last year’s drills

The Chinese drills involved coordinated naval forces from the country’s eastern, northern and southern theatre commands, a scale that suggested Beijing was rehearsing not only a Taiwan blockade scenario but broader operations across the western Pacific, the Taiwan official said. The exercise also pointed to China’s effort to integrate its regional fleets into a single far-seas operational force.

Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu posted details of the latest deployments on social media late on Thursday, saying that while the number of vessels had decreased, “the groups of Northern, Eastern & Southern Theater Commands plus Liaoning carrier strike group remain operating in waters east of the Philippines.” He added that Chinese air force activity also remained high near Taiwan.

The scale of the deployment had decreased this week, with around 70 vessels operating within the first island chain on Friday, according to two Taiwan security officials. An independent assessment by the US-based Institute for the Study of War on 6 November said the Chinese military could be conducting a major exercise simulating the isolation of Taiwan.

Taipei confirms “area denial” drills

Taiwan’s defence ministry referred to comments made by Defence Minister Wellington Koo this week, saying China was carrying out “area denial” drills in the western Pacific involving an aircraft carrier and other naval formations. Koo told reporters on Tuesday that China “has indeed conducted area denial drills in the Western Pacific with the Liaoning carrier group and other naval training formations.”

Anti-access and area denial refers to keeping an outside force from intervening in a conflict, which in the Taiwan context means stopping the United States or other allied forces from coming to Taipei’s aid should Beijing attack.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up its military pressure over the past five years, drawing condemnation from Taipei and heightening concern in Western capitals about the potential for conflict. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Xi’s message and the APEC backdrop

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday gave a major policy speech about Taiwan, urging peaceful “reunification” though making no mention of using force.

China’s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Beijing has said the carrier is on “routine” exercises that are not directed at any country. China’s widely read state-backed paper the Global Times said on Friday that if Taiwan’s ruling party persists in “seeking ‘independence by relying on external forces or military means,’ dragging the residents of Taiwan onto their war chariot, they will inevitably face a harsh reckoning”.

A foreign intelligence source said the “silent drills without a name”, given the lack of a public announcement by China, appeared deliberate, allowing Beijing to apply military pressure while avoiding a diplomatic backlash.

Beijing is hosting the APEC leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next week, where US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet for the third time this year. Taiwan also attends APEC. The drills also come ahead of Taiwan’s local elections at the end of this month.

Why the drills matter

The unannounced exercise shows how China can put very large naval forces to sea around Taiwan without declaring a formal exercise, leaving Taipei and its partners to read intent from ship movements rather than announcements. The involvement of all three theatre commands, rather than the eastern command alone, signals preparation for operations well beyond the Taiwan Strait, across the wider western Pacific.

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