Taiwan says it is surrounded by more than 100 Chinese ships

Why Taiwan is so important in the power struggle between the US and China
The head of Taiwan's National Security Council said this Saturday (23/05) that China has positioned more than 100 ships, including navy and coast guard vessels, in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the Western Pacific.
In an image posted on X by Joseph Wu, the ships appear forming a kind of siege around the autonomous island. Beijing sees it as part of its territory and has already threatened to take it by force.
"In this part of the world, #China is the only PROBLEM that destroys the #StatusQuo and threatens regional peace and stability," Wu said in the publication.
The deployment began before US President Donald Trump met in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and increased to more than 100 vessels after the end of the summit, a news agency told AFP. security authority on condition of anonymity.
According to this same source, Chinese ships around Taiwan also include research vessels.
Taiwan: a piece with explosive potential on the China-US board
Reproduction/TV Globo
It is not clear what they are doing there, but the Chinese Navy and coast guard have promoted training in these waters before.
China has intensified military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, moving fighter jets and warships around the island almost daily and carrying out several large-scale exercises.
Taiwan on alert after uncertainty over purchase of American weapons
Trump caused concern in Taiwan after suggesting that United States arms sales to the island could be used as a bargaining chip with China.
Taiwan depends heavily on American support to deter a possible Chinese attack, and the sale of weapons to the island is something provided for by law in the USA.
Days after Trump's visit to China, the acting head of the American Navy told congressmen in the US that the US government had frozen the sale of 14 billion dollars (R$70 billion) worth of weapons to Taiwan in order to ensure sufficient ammunition for the war in Iran.
The announcement came after Xi warned Trump that the "Taiwan issue" is the most important issue in US-China relations and that the two countries could "have clashes and even conflicts" if the issue is not handled properly.
The Taiwanese government has insisted that the US commitment to its defense has not changed, and that arms sales remain strong.
Taiwanese protest in the streets
Taiwan
g1/Alberto Correa
Marches in support of the government's plan to increase defense spending drew thousands of Taiwanese to the country's streets this Saturday.
Under pressure from the United States, President Lai Ching-te had proposed additional spending of almost 40 billion dollars on critical weapons, including American weapons. But the parliament, with an opposition majority, reduced this spending to 25 billion.
Tensions regarding Taiwan have also undermined the relationship between China and Japan, especially since November last year, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a threat to Japan's survival and justify intervention by the Japanese army.
The comments angered Chinese authorities, who responded by advising their citizens to avoid traveling to the archipelago.
(AFP, Lusa)

Source: G1