China’s military has repeatedly simulated attacks on foreign naval vessels transiting the Taiwan Strait, prompting deeper intelligence-sharing between Taiwan and a growing number of international partners, a senior Taiwanese security official revealed on Wednesday (December 3, 2025).
Tsai Ming-yen, director-general of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, told lawmakers that eight countries, including the United States, Britain, France, and New Zealand, have made 12 transits through the strait so far this year.
What did Tsai say on the Taiwan Strait?
Beijing, which claims full sovereignty over the waterway, “shadows every ship” and at times mobilises its air force to conduct mock attack runs, Tsai said.
His remarks underscore rising tensions in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints. The Taiwan Strait is a critical artery for global commerce, carrying nearly half of all container traffic.
What’s the dispute over the Taiwan Strait?
While Taiwan and the United States insist Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, China claims exclusive jurisdiction and routinely condemns foreign military transits as provocations.
US warships typically sail through the strait every few months, with close allies such as Britain, Canada, and, more recently, New Zealand also conducting periodic passages.
Tsai confirmed that even Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country with traditionally close ties to Beijing, has sent a ship through the strait this year.
How has China been claiming authority over the Taiwan Strait?
According to Tsai, Chinese forces have intensified their responses to these transits, deploying naval vessels to track foreign warships and, at times, scrambling aircraft to simulate strike missions.
He said these manoeuvres are aimed at demonstrating Beijing’s claimed authority over the strait and projecting military pressure on Taiwan.
How has Taiwan been countering China?
To counter this, Taipei has expanded intelligence cooperation with its “international partners,” sharing real-time surveillance and data on Chinese military activity.
Taiwan operates one of the region’s most sophisticated radar and monitoring networks, enabling foreign navies better to understand the “typical modes” of Chinese operations while they transit the strait, Tsai said.
How did China, Taiwan react to the developments?
Beijing has consistently denounced such transits and maintains near-daily military activity around Taiwan.
Taiwan views these operations as a form of grey-zone coercion designed to exhaust its armed forces and normalise an elevated Chinese military presence.
Beijing’s most recent major drill, “Strait Thunder-2025,” took place in April. Tsai warned that October to December is traditionally a high-activity period for Chinese exercises, and Taiwan is monitoring whether routine drills could escalate into Taiwan-specific war games.
He also noted that four Chinese naval groups are currently operating in the Western Pacific, a sign of sustained military pressure as regional tensions remain high.