In the first days of November, a fleet of more than a hundred Chinese naval and coast guard vessels gathered across the western Pacific and around Taiwan without any public word from Beijing, and Taiwan's officials have given the episode a name of their own: silent intimidation. It is the kind of pressure that is felt more than announced, a show of force meant to be seen by those who need to see it while leaving no formal occasion for protest. The timing, just before leaders gather in Shenzhen for APEC, places this quiet display alongside the old human question of how great powers speak to one
China Stages Large Unannounced Naval Drills Around Taiwan, Taipei Calls It 'Silent Intimidation'
A robber hiding a gun in a coat pocket, muzzle pointed at the bank teller
Mark
Why does it matter that these drills had no name and no announcement?
Mimi
Because the earlier ones, like Justice Mission 2025, were declared. Taiwanese officials say this one was kept quiet so Beijing could press without triggering a diplomatic backlash right before the APEC summit in Shenzhen.
Luke
Worth saying that's an interpretation. The "silent intimidation" line comes from an anonymous Taiwanese official, and the backlash-avoidance reading from an anonymous foreign intelligence source. Neither is on the record.
Mark
And the numbers? More than 100 vessels is striking.
Mimi
It was the peak, per the Taiwan official, and it included coast guard ships as well as navy. By Friday, two Taiwan officials counted about 70 within the first island chain.
Luke
Right, and those are Taiwanese counts. China's defence ministry didn't comment. The claim that it exceeded Justice Mission 2025 is also the official's own comparison.
Mark
What about the missile launch?
Mimi
The official said a Chinese submarine fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea into the mainland. It's a notable detail about what was rehearsed.
Luke
But it's a single-source claim in this reporting. Nothing here shows Beijing confirming it.
Mark
What does China say it is doing?
Mimi
That the carrier is on routine exercises not aimed at any country. Taiwan's defence minister calls them area denial drills.
Luke
And whether this was a blockade rehearsal or broader far-seas integration is the official's assessment. What China intended is still unknown.
Le Pouls
- More than 100 Chinese military and coast guard vessels were massed around Taiwan in early November with no public announcement, leaving Taipei alarmed.
- Simulated attacks on other militaries and on cities, Taiwan's among them, have unsettled the region and raised fears of a blockade rehearsal.
- Taiwan's officials are scrambling to read the intent behind the drills, calling them silent intimidation and warning of a push toward a single far-seas force.
- The fleet has shrunk to around 70 vessels, but carrier and theatre groups remain east of the Philippines and air activity near Taiwan stays high, so the danger has not passed.
- All eyes now turn to the Trump-Xi meeting in Shenzhen, where it remains uncertain whether Taiwan will be raised at all.
In the first days of November, a fleet of more than a hundred Chinese naval and coast guard vessels gathered across the western Pacific and around Taiwan without any public word from Beijing, and Taiwan's officials have given the episode a name of their own: silent intimidation. It is the kind of pressure that is felt more than announced, a show of force meant to be seen by those who need to see it while leaving no formal occasion for protest. The timing, just before leaders gather in Shenzhen for APEC, places this quiet display alongside the old human question of how great powers speak to one another when they wish to be heard but not quoted. Whether the calm that follows is a pause or a settling will depend on what is said, and left unsaid, in the weeks ahead.
A senior Taiwan security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that in early November China's military and coast guard had more than a hundred vessels spread across the western Pacific and around Taiwan. Beijing announced none of it, and Taipei has come to call the campaign "silent intimidation." The official described simulated attacks on other militaries and on cities, Taiwan's included, and said the force was larger than Justice Mission 2025, the last named Chinese drill aimed at the island.
The official offered a simple picture of the logic: a robber with a gun hidden in a coat pocket, aimed at a bank teller. The teller hands over the money, and no alarm is raised that would bring a large police response. A foreign intelligence source read the drills in much the same way, noting that because nothing was announced, Beijing could press its advantage without paying a diplomatic price.
The timing carries weight. Leaders gather for APEC in Shenzhen next week, and Presidents Trump and Xi are expected to meet, while Taiwan also takes part in the forum. Xi had just given a speech urging peaceful reunification without mentioning force, a reminder that Beijing has never renounced it.
By Friday the fleet had thinned to about 70 vessels inside the first island chain, yet Taiwan's security council said carrier and theatre groups remained east of the Philippines and air activity stayed high. Beijing calls the carrier work routine, and the state-backed Global Times warned of a harsh reckoning if Taiwan's ruling party pursues independence. What remains to be seen is whether the Shenzhen meeting mentions Taiwan, and whether the skies near the island grow quiet again.
A senior Taiwan security official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, says that at one point in early November China's military and coast guard had more than 100 vessels massed across the western Pacific and around Taiwan. China announced none of it. Taipei's description of the campaign is "silent intimidation."
According to the official, the drills included simulated attacks on other militaries and on cities, Taiwan's among them. The naval deployment was larger than "Justice Mission 2025," the last formally named Chinese drill aimed at Taiwan, held nearly a year ago and itself one of the largest Chinese naval deployments to date. A Chinese submarine also fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Yellow Sea into the Chinese mainland, the official said.
The official reached for an image to explain the logic: a robber hiding a gun in a coat pocket, muzzle pointed at the bank teller. The teller hands over the money, and no alarm sounds to bring a large police response. A foreign intelligence source reached a similar reading. Because China made no public announcement, these "silent drills without a name" appeared deliberate, letting Beijing apply military pressure while avoiding a diplomatic backlash. That source added that the latter part of the year, when the weather is typically calmer, is when China normally carries out drills.
The timing matters. Beijing hosts the APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen next week, where US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet for the third time this year. Taiwan also attends APEC. On Thursday Xi gave a major policy speech on Taiwan, urging peaceful "reunification" without mentioning the use of force. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has never renounced force, and it has stepped up military pressure over the past five years.
The Taiwan official said the exercise drew on coordinated naval forces from China's eastern, northern and southern theatre commands. In the official's view, that scale suggested Beijing was rehearsing not only a blockade of Taiwan but wider operations across the western Pacific, and was trying to merge regional fleets into a single far-seas force.
The deployment has since shrunk. On Friday, two Taiwan security officials counted around 70 vessels operating within the first island chain. Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, posted on X late Thursday that although vessel numbers had fallen, the Northern, Eastern and Southern Theater Command groups plus the Liaoning carrier strike group remained in waters east of the Philippines. He added that Chinese air force activity near Taiwan also remained high.
China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Taiwan's defence ministry pointed to remarks by minister Wellington Koo this week, who said China was conducting "area denial" drills in the western Pacific involving an aircraft carrier and other naval formations. Beijing has said the carrier is on "routine" exercises not directed at any country. The state-backed Global Times said on Friday that if Taiwan's ruling party keeps seeking "independence by relying on external forces or military means," and drags Taiwan's residents onto its "war chariot," it will inevitably face a "harsh reckoning."
What to watch next is whether the Trump-Xi meeting in Shenzhen touches on Taiwan, and whether air activity near the island stays elevated after the ship numbers fall.
Citations marquantes
It is a silent exercise - and in effect, silent intimidation.— Senior Taiwan security official, speaking anonymously
China has said the carrier is on routine exercises not directed at any country.— Beijing, as reported by Reuters
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