Taiwan on high alert as China ends large scale drills
Taiwan has kept its military and coast guard on high alert even as Chinese naval and coast guard ships began pulling back after massive drills around the island. China’s “Justice Mission 2025” exercises saw dozens of rockets fired and large numbers of warships and aircraft deployed near Taiwan, prompting concern from Western allies. Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council said the maritime situation had started to calm, with Chinese vessels gradually leaving the area. All 11 Chinese coast guard ships that had been near Taiwan’s waters were reported to have moved away, though Taipei’s emergency response centres remain active. In the previous 24 hours, Taiwan’s defence ministry tracked 77 Chinese military aircraft and 25 navy and coast guard vessels operating around the island. It said 35 of those aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, an unofficial boundary that China has increasingly […]