China is expanding military exercises in a way that they are difficult to distinguish from a potential operation against the self-ruled Taiwan, the United States Space Force warned.
Newsweek has emailed both the Chinese and Taiwanese defense ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
Communist China has long claimed that Taiwan, which is a democracy and a U.S. security partner, is part of its own territory, despite never having governed the island. Beijing has also warned that it "reserves all options" against Taiwan, which includes the use of force.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region, said the Chinese military held the largest invasion rehearsal around Taiwan in his career last summer, while Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, said Beijing will move on the island before 2030.
What To Know
During the AFA Warfare Symposium on Tuesday, which was held in Aurora, Colorado, Brigadier General Anthony Mastalir, commander of the U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, gave his opinion on the Chinese military drills, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported.
"It is clear in the increasing complexity with which the [Chinese People's Liberation Army] exercises are done in a way, that it becomes very difficult, and will become very difficult, to discern an exercise from an invasion," Mastalir was quoted as saying.
China has deployed military aircraft and naval ships around Taiwan on a daily basis for patrols and exercises, exerting pressure on the island. In May, October, and December last year, the Chinese military conducted at least three large-scale exercises around Taiwan.
Mastalir also raised his concern about China's "counter-space capabilities," which included weapons that can attack satellites. He claimed that China has been "synchronizing" the posturing of these weapons with its military drills lately, without further explanation.
China has continued developing capabilities that are capable of contesting or denying other countries access to and operations in space, the Pentagon warned last December.
These Chinese counter-space capabilities included direct ascent anti-satellite missiles, as well as co-orbital satellites, which are placed into Earth's orbit and later maneuvered to approach and attack a target satellite through destructive and non-destructive ways.
Last December, the U.S. Space Forces Japan, a field component under the U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, was launched amid threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.
What People Are Saying
Brigadier General Anthony Mastalir, commander of the U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, said at the AFA Warfare Symposium on Tuesday: "For example, when you think about the counter-space weapons that China is building, including direct ascent [anti-satellite weapons]...those are going out and being postured at the same time that the exercise is unfolding in the East China Sea."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a press conference on Friday: "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory...Realizing China's complete reunification is a shared aspiration of the Chinese nation. It is an inevitable trend, and it is what the greater national interests entail."
What Happens Next
The Chinese military continues its daily patrols and exercises around Taiwan. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry reported that a total of 11 Chinese balloons were detected flying over the island and the Taiwan Strait in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Friday.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 3:33 AM.