Two Russian Warships Detected Near Taiwanese Coast

Facts

• Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced a rare detection of two Russian frigates sailing north at 11 PM in waters off the island's east coast; it was not detailed how far offshore the warships were.¹
• The military closely monitored the passage of the warships with the use of joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance methods, deploying aircraft and ships before they left Taiwan's response area southeast of Suao.²
• This comes as Russia's state-run Interfax news agency reported that warships from the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet crossed the South China Sea and entered the Philippine Sea on Tuesday, performing exercises such as a simulated naval battle to repel a missile attack from the sea.³
• Meanwhile, Taipei detected eight Chinese military aircraft and six naval ships around the island between Monday 6 AM and Tuesday 6 AM, including three Sukhoi Su-30 combat jets allegedly flying across the Taiwan Strait median line.⁴
• The self-ruling island, which has joined the US, as well as its neighbors Japan and South Korea, in imposing sanctions on Russia amid the Ukraine War, reports near-daily presence of Chinese vessels and aircraft around the territory which Beijing claims as its own.⁵
• Though the PRC has not openly endorsed Russia's actions in Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow remain close allies and regularly coordinate military exercises together.⁶

Sources: ¹CNA, ²Focus Taiwan, ³The Moscow Times, ⁴Nikkei Asia, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶Stars and Stripes.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Taipei Times. The unusual presence of Russian warships near Taiwan is very concerning, as the Kremlin has acted in the interests of Beijing to get diplomatic cover and continue its conspiracy of aggression and expansion. Authoritarian countries have deepened ties since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last year, with Moscow reaffirming its support for Chinese expansionism.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by TASS. Given that the Sino-Russian alliance offers a constructive, multipolar alternative to Western global dominance, it is no surprise that the US and its puppet allies are resorting to bellicose words and deeds in a last-ditch to prevent this new geopolitical era. Under such circumstances, the Ukraine crisis, the Taiwan issue, and human rights are being politicized by the West to slander both Beijing and Moscow.

Predictions