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Chinese drills near Taiwan take aim at Washington audience

Chinese carrier drills and stepped-up incursions into Taiwan’s air defense zone in recent weeks are meant to send a message to Washington to stand down and back off, security sources in Taipei say.
The increased activity - which China, unusually, described as “combat drills” on Wednesday - has raised alarm in both Taipei and Washington, though security officials do not see it as a sign of an imminent attack.
Rather, according to an official familiar with Taiwan’s security planning, at least some of the exercises are practicing “access denial” maneuvers to prevent foreign forces from coming to Taipei’s defense in a war.
“China claimed that the drills are near Taiwan, but judging by their location it’s actually meant for the US military,” said the official in Taiwan, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
As China sailed an aircraft carrier group near Taiwan last week, its air force simulated attacks on American ships, although no US Navy vessels were known to be in the area at the time, the source said.
The US Navy has been carrying out regular transits of the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from China.
One Western security source said the almost-daily flights by Chinese anti-submarine aircraft in the northernmost part of the South China Sea were probably a response to US missions there, including by submarines, or to show the Pentagon that China can hunt for US submarines.
“They are not chasing Taiwanese subs,” the source said, pointing to Taiwan’s own tiny fleet of four, two of which date from World War Two.
The US Navy does not give details of any submarine patrols near Taiwan or in the South China Sea.
President Joe Biden’s White House has maintained a tough-on-China stance inherited from the Trump administration.
That has included more visible support for Taiwan, angering China, which considers the island part of its territory and sees Washington as giving succor to Taiwanese who seek independence, a red line for Beijing.
Two US military officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that although the United States was concerned about Chinese activity around Taiwan, there was no sense of an imminent attack.
“For the past five years, China has been the centerpiece of the United States’ national defense strategy. So of course we’re concerned,” one official said.
China’s Defense Ministry, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry and the US Navy’s 7th Fleet did not respond to requests for comment.
Although China has escalated its rhetoric in response to US warships passing through the Taiwan Strait, a US defense official said Washington had not seen any kind of operational military escalation by the Chinese in response.
In a statement to Reuters, China’s Foreign Ministry said the United States has “swelled the arrogance of Taiwan independence forces”.
Washington “bears an inescapable responsibility for tensions in the Taiwan Strait”, it added.
A senior US administration official said that regardless of who Beijing’s incursions near Taiwan were aimed at, their effect was direct “intimidation and coercion” of Taiwan.
“Our operations there have been in a pretty steady state consistently,” the official said. “So I don’t think there’s an increased pace of US military operations that are necessarily driving what Beijing is doing. That feels a little bit like an excuse there for what they’re doing.”
The US Navy this month took the rare step of publishing a photo on its main website of a US warship in the Philippine Sea watching China’s Liaoning carrier.
Raising the stakes, China’s Navy said for the first time last week that carrier drills near Taiwan would become routine.
Another US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait two days after China’s announcement of its carrier maneuvers, part of what the Pentagon refers to as “routine” transits that have prompted Beijing to accuse Washington of causing regional tensions.
“China’s top concern in any Taiwan contingency would be preventing or at least blunting armed intervention by the US”, said Greg Poling, a maritime security expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“So demonstrating increased ability to deny US access is a coercive message sent to both Washington and Taipei.”
source: Reuters
Image source: AP
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Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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