Media has quoted officials saying that China may conduct "encirclement operations" around Taiwan in response to President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) upcoming trip. Lai’s first overseas tour during his term begins on November 30, with planned stops in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Guam, Tuvalu, and Palau.
Both Reuters and The Wall Street Journal interviewed Asia-Pacific region officials, reporting that China may respond with multiple military exercises similar in scale to the siege operations after the National Day speech. Sources said that 20 to 30 Chinese naval ships are participating in military operations in the South China Sea this week; the Defense Ministry released news that, from 6 a.m. on Thursday to 6 a.m. on Friday, 33 joint aircraft sorties were detected in the area. 21 crossed the centerline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, southwest, and eastern airspace. 8 joint ships and an aerial balloon were also reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) declared that China "opposes official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan." The U.S. State Department stated on Friday that private, routine, and unofficial border crossings are not an excuse for provocation, pointing out that President Lai’s transit in the U.S. is in line with the nature of the unofficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan, and that the U.S.’s One China policy remains unchanged.