China held unannounced exercises near Taiwan ahead of the APEC summit in Shenzhen

Unannounced maneuvers in the Pacific

In early November, China conducted large-scale military exercises in the western Pacific and around Taiwan without officially announcing them. This was reported by Reuters, citing sources in Taipei (the material was published by Kun.uz). According to a senior Taiwanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the coast guard at one point concentrated more than 100 ships in the region. The maneuvers included, among other things, simulated strikes on cities, including Taiwanese ones, and actions against foreign military forces.

Scale and nature of the exercises

In addition to the maneuvers near Taiwan, a Chinese submarine launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea toward mainland China. The Reuters source described these covert actions as 'intimidation without publicity.' In his assessment, the November exercises were conducted on an even broader scale than the December 'Justice Mission 2025' maneuvers, which were officially announced and are considered among the largest in the history of the Chinese navy. The exercises coordinated the actions of the naval forces of China's eastern, northern and southern theater commands. The Taiwanese official saw this as a sign that Beijing was rehearsing not only a blockade scenario for Taiwan, but also larger operations in the western Pacific, as well as an effort to unite regional fleets into a single task force in a distant maritime direction.

The APEC summit context

The exercises took place against the backdrop of preparations for the APEC summit, which, according to plans, will be held next week in Shenzhen. A third meeting this year between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected there; Russian President Vladimir Putin may also join it. Taiwan is also participating in the forum. A Reuters source in one of the foreign intelligence services viewed the decision to hold the exercises without official announcements as a deliberate move: it allows military pressure to be exerted while avoiding diplomatic criticism. On November 12, Xi delivered a keynote speech on the Taiwan issue in which he never once mentioned the use of force and called for 'reunification' by peaceful means: 'The course of history cannot be stopped. The complete reunification of the motherland must be accomplished, and it will certainly be accomplished,' Kun.uz quotes him as saying.