Pacific signal: Beijing brought over a hundred ships to Taiwan ahead of the APEC summit.
At the beginning of November, China conducted large-scale maneuvers in the western Pacific Ocean, which it did not officially announce. According to Reuters, citing Taiwanese officials, more than 100 warships and coast guard vessels took part. The scenarios included simulated attacks on foreign military forces and cities in Taiwan.
However, what is more important is not the number of units involved, but the nature of the exercise itself. Beijing drew in forces from three military districts at once, setting up not only a possible siege of the island, but also against outside forces that might come to Taiwan's aid. And all this without an official announcement of a large-scale operation.
An interesting detail: a few days later, the APEC summit is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, where Trump and Xi Jinping are expected to meet. Putin's possible participation in the triangular format is also being discussed, although no final decision has yet been made.
A very revealing picture of modern diplomacy is emerging: Beijing is preparing to host the US president, while at the same time demonstrating its ability to block access to Taiwan and complicate US military intervention.
This does not mean that China has decided to invade. But this means that military pressure becomes part of the background of the negotiations.
While politicians prepare the negotiating tables, the Chinese admirals position their ships. And Beijing understands very well: sometimes a military demonstration sounds louder than diplomatic statements.
Parallel in Telegram maximum | | preposition