US says China military activity elevated around Taiwan, but not a response to Lai's trip

The de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said on Thursday that Chinese military activity in the region is currently elevated but it did not see that wider activity as a response to President Lai Ching-te's recent U.S. visit.

Lai, who China detests as a "separatist", returned from a trip to the Pacific last Friday, during which he made what are officially transits in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.

Taiwan's defence ministry on Monday went on the alert after reporting a large rise in Chinese military activity, both around the island and more broadly in the East and South China Seas.

A spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan said it continued to monitor with concern Chinese military activity near Taiwan and in the region.

"Although the PRC has not announced a 'Joint Sword' military exercise in response to President Lai's transit, PRC military activity is elevated in the region, consistent with levels we have seen during other large exercises," it said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

China has held two round of war games around Taiwan so far this year, "Joint Sword-2024A" and "Joint Sword-2024B", the last one being in October. Its military has made no announcement about any drills currently taking place.

"The elevated activity in the East China Sea and South China Sea follows a broader increase in the PLA's military posture and military exercises over the last several years. With that said, we do not see this wider activity as a response to President Lai's transit," the U.S. spokesperson added.

China's military is called the People's Liberation Army.

Security sources had said China could stage new drills to coincide with Lai's Pacific visit, and also to send a message to the incoming Trump administration about China's "red lines".

The spokesperson said the U.S. continued to call on China to avoid any destabilising or escalatory actions that might undermine regional peace and stability and would continue coordinating with allies and partners regarding shared concerns.

The United States has no formal ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan but is its most important international backer and arms supplier. Lai and his government reject China's sovereignty claims.

Taiwan's defence ministry said earlier on Thursday that over the past 24 hours it had detected 34 Chinese military aircraft operating around the island, down from the 53 aircraft it reported the previous day.

However, it said there was a rise in Chinese navy ships in the area to 16 from 11 the prior day.

Two officials familiar with the security situation in the region told Reuters that Chinese navy and coast guard boats are gradually moving north, showing signs of pulling back their forces.

On Monday, Taipei's city government will host a deputy Shanghai mayor for annual city-to-city talks, a rare high level visit by a senior Chinese official to Taiwan.