China is carrying out "area denial" drills in the Western Pacific involving one of its aircraft carriers and other naval formations, Taiwan's Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, following a reported rise in Chinese military activity around the island.

"China has indeed conducted area denial drills in the Western Pacific with the Liaoning carrier group and other naval training formations," Koo told reporters at parliament in Taipei.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, regularly sends its warplanes and warships into the skies and waters around the island. Taiwan's defence ministry last week reported a large rise in the number of Chinese air force aircraft operating around Taiwan.

More than 100 ships reported

Last week, Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu posted details of the deployments of more than 100 Chinese naval and Coast Guard ships operating off Taiwan, in the South China Sea, and into the Pacific.

On 28 October, Wu posted a map showing 53 Chinese vessels at sea, including 34 navy warships and the aircraft carrier Liaoning. A few days later, on 3 November, he said more than 100 Chinese navy and coast guard ships were operating across the Western Pacific. Taiwan's defence ministry also logged 49 Chinese military aircraft sorties in a single 24-hour period.

China has not formally declared any drills. Its defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Koo's statement. Last month, the ministry said the Liaoning carrier's training in the Western Pacific was an annual routine to test long-range, open-ocean combat capabilities and was not directed at any particular country.

What area denial means

Anti-access and area denial, often shortened to A2AD, refers to keeping an outside force from intervening in a conflict. In the Taiwan context, it means stopping United States or other allied forces from coming to Taipei's aid should Beijing attack.

Koo said Taiwan sees the activity as an attempt to weaken stability in the wider Indo-Pacific region. "We believe that this kind of military deterrence is intended to undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," he added.

Most of the detailed ship counts come from Taiwanese officials, and China has not confirmed them. Independent reporting has noted the large ship presence in the Western Pacific between Taiwan and neighbouring countries, with two clusters reported, while cautioning that the picture rests on limited reporting.

Timing ahead of APEC and elections

The drills come ahead of the APEC summit in Shenzhen next week, where US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping again. They also come before Taiwan's local elections at the end of this month.

Taiwan has also taken steps in response to the pressure. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would close Taiwan's representative office in Papua New Guinea and withdraw its personnel, citing Chinese pressure, while Taiwanese authorities have announced new measures against Chinese infiltration.

For now, Taipei's message is that the activity is real, sustained and aimed at deterrence, even though Beijing has not announced it as a formal exercise. How Washington and regional allies respond in the run-up to the APEC meeting will be closely watched.