US says China military activity elevated around Taiwan.

12/12/2024 16:10

The de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said on Thursday that Chinese military activity in the region is currently elevated but it did not see that wider activity as a response to President Lai Ching-te's recent U.S. visit.



Lai returned from a trip to the Pacific last Friday, during which he made what are officially transits in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.



Taiwan's defence ministry on Monday went on the alert after reporting a large rise in Chinese military activity, both around the island and more broadly in the East and South China Seas.



A spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan said it continued to monitor with concern Chinese military activity near Taiwan and in the region.



"Although the PRC has not announced a 'Joint Sword' military exercise in response to President Lai's transit, PRC military activity is elevated in the region, consistent with levels we have seen during other large exercises," it said, referring to the People's Republic of China.