China may launch military drills near Taiwan during President Lai Ching-te's Pacific trip and U.S. transit, using the visit as a pretext to assert its stance amid regional tensions, officials warn.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan, using President Lai Ching-te's upcoming trip to the Pacific and scheduled U.S. transit as a pretext, according to assessments by Taiwan and regional security officials.
Lai will start a visit to Taipei's three diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and sources told Reuters he was planning stops in Hawaii and possibly the U.S. territory of Guam in a sensitive trip coming shortly after the U.S. election.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and the most important issue in its relations with Washington, has a strong dislike of Lai whom Beijing calls a "separatist".
Lai's office has yet to confirm details of what are officially stop-overs in the United States, but is expected to do so shortly before he departs, sources familiar with the trip have previously said.
Beijing could conduct military manoeuvres around or shortly after Lai's trip which ends on Dec. 6, said four officials in the region briefed on the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Neither China's defence ministry nor its Taiwan Affairs Office responded to requests for comment, though the government has urged the United States not to permit Lai to transit.
Taiwan's defence ministry and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.
China has already staged two rounds of major exercises around Taiwan this year to pressure Taipei, one in May and one in October, dubbed "Joint Sword - 2024A" and B, respectively.
China could "repackage" ongoing regular military activities in the South China Sea or the East China Sea, moving them closer to Taiwan and rebranding them "Joint Sword - 2024C," according to a Taiwan security official.
Beijing could expand the size of its regular "joint combat readiness patrol" that typically involves naval and air force drills near Taiwan during Lai's visit and launch a "targeted" exercise towards the end of the trip, the source said.
Between 20 and 30 Chinese naval vessels are involved in the ongoing military manoeuvres this week in the South China Sea, the source added.
'RED LINE'
Beijing wants to show the incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Donald Trump that the first island chain is "China's sphere of influence" and Lai's trip could become a "pretext", the official said, referring to an area that runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas.
"Beijing hopes to draw a red line and establish its power" during the U.S. government transition and extend its sphere of influence, the official said, adding the military drills were meant for the United States and its allies.
A second source, a Taiwan-based regional security official, said the drills would probably be more limited in scope than the two earlier rounds this year given unstable winter weather conditions in the Taiwan Strait.
A third source, familiar with security assessments around Taiwan, said China could use exercises in the coming weeks to test the bottom line of the Trump administration.
Two of the sources said more favourable weather conditions may prompt an earlier or delayed display of force in the days around Lai's trip.
Taiwan presidents typically take advantage of stop-overs in the United States going to and from far-flung allies to give speeches and meet with friendly politicians. Lai will be visiting the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three of the 12 remaining countries maintaining official diplomatic ties with Taipei.
It would not be unprecedented for China to respond militarily to this trip. It did so in August of last year when then-Vice President Lai returned from the United States, and in April of last year upon then-President Tsai Ing-wen's return from California.
Lai and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party reject Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
The United States began their World Cup campaign in commanding fashion with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, delivering an emphatic performance that under...
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 member states have agreed to advance accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, paving the way for th...
European Union countries have agreed to maintain the current three-hour threshold for flight delay compensation in the bloc’s upcoming update to air...
Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as f...
Georgia is overhauling its migration laws in one of the most significant legal reforms in years, introducing criminal penalties for fake marriages, ti...
China has expressed strong dissatisfaction over a United States decision to place several major Chinese companies on a Pentagon list of firms alleged to support the country’s military.
Authorities in Hong Kong have seized suspected counterfeit World Cup merchandise worth an estimated HK$156 million (US$19.91 million), including jerseys and footballs, in one of the city's largest recent crackdowns on fake sports goods.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has expressed “absolute solidarity” with Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro following sanctions imposed on him by China.
At the start of 2026, something unusual happened in China's car market. BYD, the company that had spent years at the top of the domestic sales charts, was knocked off its perch by a rival.
SpaceX has made history with the largest initial public offering ever in the United States, pricing its shares at $135 each and achieving a market valuation of $1.77 trillion.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
While France hosts next week’s Group of Seven summit, businesses in neighbouring Switzerland have already begun taking precautions, with many shops in Geneva boarded up ahead of a large anti-G7 demonstration expected on Sunday.
Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium has been reinstated after Alpine successfully challenged his post-race penalties through a Right of Review request with the FIA.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk have criticised Britain, France and Germany for leaving them out of talks with Russia about a potential future peace deal for Ukraine.
Every June, roughly 13 million young people in China sit down at the same time to take the same test. They have been preparing for it, in many cases, since primary school. Their families have rearranged their lives around it.
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 member states have agreed to advance accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, paving the way for the first formal phase of talks to begin on Monday.
European Union countries have agreed to maintain the current three-hour threshold for flight delay compensation in the bloc’s upcoming update to air passenger rights, preserving one of the most recognisable protections for travellers.
Georgia is overhauling its migration laws in one of the most significant legal reforms in years, introducing criminal penalties for fake marriages, tighter controls on foreign students and expanded investigative powers for the migration authorities.
China has expressed strong dissatisfaction over a United States decision to place several major Chinese companies on a Pentagon list of firms alleged to support the country’s military.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment