China Rehearses Taiwan Strikes Ahead of APEC Summit

China rehearsed attacks on Taiwanese cities during unannounced military drills early this month, a senior Taiwanese security official said in a report published on Friday, Nov. 13.Reuters, citing the official, reported that a Chinese submarine also launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea toward mainland China.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“It is a silent exercise – and in effect, silent intimidation,” the official said.More than 100 vessels reported across regionTaiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu had reported more than 100 Chinese naval and coast guard vessels operating across the western Pacific earlier this month.In a subsequent update on Nov. 12, Wu said the overall number of vessels had decreased, but naval groups from China’s Northern, Eastern and Southern Theater Commands remained active alongside the Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group.Those formations were operating in waters east of the Philippines, he said, while Chinese military aircraft remained active near Taiwan. The deployments extended across a much wider area than the waters immediately surrounding the island.Separately, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported detecting 30 Chinese military aircraft, eight naval vessels and three other official ships around Taiwan during the 24 hours ending on Nov. 13.The ministry said Taiwanese forces monitored and responded to the activity using aircraft, naval vessels and coastal missile systems. Other Topics of Interest Russia and Ukraine have agreed in Abu Dhabi to a major prisoner exchange, brokered by the US. Taiwan warns of drills to deter outside interventionTaiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said on Nov. 10 that the Liaoning carrier group and other Chinese naval formations were conducting “area denial” exercises in the western Pacific.Such operations aim to prevent outside forces from entering or operating in a contested area. In a conflict over Taiwan, that could complicate efforts by the United States or its allies to assist the island.Koo said Taiwan was using intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, alongside information exchanges with allies, to monitor Chinese activities and respond.China’s navy had announced the Liaoning deployment on Oct. 14, describing it as routine training under its annual plan.It said the exercises were intended to improve combat readiness and were not directed at any particular country or target. That announcement concerned the carrier’s deployment rather than the broader activities subsequently described by Taiwanese officials.Xi renews call for unificationThe military activity coincides with renewed political pressure from Beijing over Taiwan’s future.In a speech on Thursday, Nov. 12, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for peaceful development of cross-strait relations and eventual unification, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.“The complete reunification of our motherland must be realized, and it can, without doubt, be realized,” Xi said.Speaking at an event marking the 160th anniversary of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen’s birth, whose government later became the party that ruled over Taiwan, Xi described resolving the Taiwan issue as a historical mission of China’s Communist Party. He also rejected any room for Taiwanese independence.Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council rejected Beijing’s proposed “one country, two systems” arrangement, saying it would mean submitting to Communist Party rule.Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced using force to bring it under Chinese control. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s territorial claim.APEC diplomacy could include PutinThe regional tensions come ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting, scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, according to APEC’s official calendar.The forum brings together 21 member economies, including China, the United States, Russia and Taiwan, which participates as Chinese Taipei.Xi and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet during the summit, while Washington, Beijing and Moscow have also discussed a possible three-way leaders’ meeting.During a Nov. 11 call, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed high-level diplomacy, including a potential trilateral summit with Russia.The US State Department readout said their conversation covered Trump’s upcoming travel to China and the importance of leader-level discussions on peace and denuclearization.China’s account of the same call emphasized bilateral relations, strategic stability and managing differences, without mentioning a meeting with Russia.Beijing had earlier confirmed contacts with Washington and Moscow over a possible summit, without announcing an agreed format or agenda.Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov subsequently said Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Trump planned to continue discussions on Russia’s war against Ukraine at APEC. The potential three-way meeting remains under discussion. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.