Taiwan Says China Is Rehearsing How to Keep the US Out of a Taiwan War – Days Before Trump Meets Xi

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What Taiwan Is Reporting

Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers on Tuesday that China has been carrying out area denial drills in the Western Pacific. The exercises involve the Liaoning carrier group and other naval training formations. Koo said Taiwan sees the activity as an attempt to weaken stability in the wider Indo-Pacific.

Taiwan is watching closely, he said. Its forces are sharing intelligence with allies and tracking the ships and aircraft around the clock.

China has not formally announced any drills. Its defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo's statement.

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What "Area Denial" Means

"Area denial" (military planners often write "A2/AD," short for anti-access/area denial) means making it too risky for an outside military to enter a region. In Taiwan's case, the concern is simple. If China attacked the island, it would want to stop the United States and its allies from coming to help.

Chinese warships and carriers practicing far from China's coast are a way of training for exactly that scenario, according to Taiwanese officials and analysts.

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A Rising Pattern of Pressure

The drills follow weeks of heavy Chinese activity near Taiwan. On October 28, Joseph Wu, head of Taiwan's National Security Council, posted a map on X showing 53 Chinese vessels at sea. Thirty-four were navy warships, including the Liaoning. He described the simultaneous pressure on Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines as obvious.

A few days later, on November 3, Wu said that more than 100 Chinese navy and coast guard ships were operating across the Western Pacific. Taiwan's defense ministry also logged 49 Chinese military aircraft sorties in a single 24-hour period. Of these, 31 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait (an unofficial boundary the two sides have long observed). The Taiwan Security Monitor, a tracking group, reported that a second Chinese carrier, the Fujian, was active in the South China Sea at the same time.

Wu said Taiwan will not provoke anyone but will not bow to pressure.

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Beijing's Position

China's defense ministry said last month that the Liaoning's Pacific training is an annual routine. It said the exercise tests long-range, open-sea combat skills and is not aimed at any particular country.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. It says it prefers "peaceful reunification" but has never renounced the use of force. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's claim and says only the Taiwanese people can decide their future.

Readers should note that most of the detailed ship counts come from Taiwanese officials. China has not confirmed them.

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Why the Timing Matters

The activity comes at a sensitive moment. Trump is expected to meet Xi at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19, and he has said he also expects to see Russian President Vladimir Putin there. Taiwan also holds local elections at the end of this month.

This is not the first time a surge has followed top-level diplomacy. In May, Wu reported more than 100 Chinese vessels in the week after Trump's summit in Beijing, according to Fox News.

After a meeting with Xi in September, a US envoy said American policy on Taiwan had not changed, as reported by Taiwan's Central News Agency.

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Looking Ahead

Taiwan has long warned that a blockade or attack would reach far beyond the island. In 2024, Koo said that about one-fifth of global freight passes through the Taiwan Strait. A conflict there would hit trade and supply chains worldwide.

Trump will arrive in Shenzhen with Chinese ships already deployed across the region. How he raises Taiwan with Xi will be closely watched in Taipei, Tokyo and Manila.

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Sources

1. Reuters – "Taiwan says China is conducting 'area denial' drills in Western Pacific" (Ben Blanchard, Nov 10, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/china/taiwan-says-china-is-conducting-area-denial-drills-western-pacific-2026-11-10/
2. Taiwan News – "Taiwan says China deploys over 100 navy, coast guard vessels in Western Pacific" (Nov 4, 2026): https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6471672
3. Reuters via AsiaOne – "Taiwan flags 'obvious' threat from 50 Chinese vessels in wide sweep of waters" (Oct 29, 2026): https://www.asiaone.com/asia/taiwan-flags-obvious-threat-50-chinese-vessels-wide-sweep-waters
4. Reuters via Canberra Times – "Trump confident of Xi and Putin meeting at APEC summit" (Nov 9, 2026): https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9388217/trump-confident-of-xi-and-putin-meeting-at-apec-summit/
5. Fox News – "China deployed over 100 vessels near Taiwan in the wake of Trump-Xi summit, Taiwan security official claims" (May 2026): https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-deployed-100-vessels-near-taiwan-wake-trump-xi-summit-taiwan-security-official-claims
6. Central News Agency (via GlobalSecurity.org) – "U.S. Taiwan policy unchanged after Trump-Xi talks: Envoy" (Sept 2026): https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/taiwan/2026/taiwan-260926-cna05.htm
7. Reuters via TimesLive – "Chinese blockade would be act of war, Taiwan says" (Oct 23, 2024): https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/2024-10-23-chinese-blockade-would-be-act-of-war-taiwan-says

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