A Chinese warship was reported off of eastern Taiwan on Tuesday, just two days before the start of Taiwanese missile tests in the area.
The ship reportedly appeared 38 nautical miles south of Orchid Island, off Taiwan’s southeast coast, before moving south into the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines. Because the ship stayed beyond Taiwan’s territorial waters and contiguous zone, Taiwan’s Navy was only able to monitor the ship's movements. The ship reportedly moved out of range of surveillance early Wednesday.
The Chinese ship’s appearance came ahead of a series of missile tests set to be conducted on Taiwan’s east coast between December 24 and 31. The Navy says it remains fully up to date about movements off Taiwan and that it remains prepared to respond to these movements if needed.