China's secretive military appears to be up to something around Taiwan, but it's unclear whether it's a formal military drill. Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that it has detected a dozen Chinese naval ships and 47 military planes in the past 24 hours but no live-fire activity as in previous military exercises.

The size and scale of a recent Chinese military deployment is “unheard of,” says a diplomat in the region. Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory, says it is defending its sovereignty.

China, which views Lai as a separatist, held major military exercises around Taiwan following his inauguration in May and his National Day speech in October. It also held a major drill after Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in 2022.