China’s Military Expansion Across Pacific Waterways Sparks Regional Concern

China dramatically increased its military activities and spending across the Pacific and surrounding waters in 2024, according to a detailed assessment by Taiwan’s defense ministry. Taiwanese officials estimate that Beijing allocated about $21 billion for extensive military exercises and operations in the Taiwan Strait, the East and South China Seas, and the Western Pacific—representing a 40% jump from the previous year’s $15 billion expenditure. This surge covers the costs of ship and aircraft fuel, maintenance, repairs, and personnel for thousands of hours of operations.

Unprecedented Scale of Military Operations

Taiwan’s analysis, based on surveillance and intelligence-gathering, recorded nearly 12,000 Chinese military aircraft sorties in 2024, totaling about 37,000 flight hours—a 30% increase over 2023. Chinese naval forces undertook over 86,000 voyages, including aircraft carrier and destroyer deployments, spending more than 2 million hours at sea, a 20% year-on-year increase. About 34% of these naval operations took place in the South China Sea, 28% in the East China Sea, and 14% in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Normalizing Military Pressure and “Grey-Zone” Tactics

One Taiwanese official stated that China is “attempting to normalize military power and intimidation in the first island chain,” which stretches from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo, encircling vital shipping routes and strategic waters. Taiwan’s defense ministry has repeatedly warned that these near-daily shows of force—including warplanes and warships—constitute coercive tactics, undermining stability while staying below the threshold for outright armed conflict. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/14/asia/china-military-drills-taiwan-intl-hnk

Budget Figures and Comparisons

China’s official 2024 defense budget was reported as 1.67 trillion yuan (about $233 billion). However, independent analyses suggest actual military spending may exceed $300 billion once off-budget expenditures are included. The $21 billion spent on Pacific exercises alone now amounts to 9% of China’s military budget, up from 7% the previous year, and stands at nearly one-quarter of Taiwan’s entire defense outlay for 2024.

Taiwan’s Response and Regional Implications

Taiwan’s government says the expanding scale and frequency of Chinese operations are designed to “undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” calling for international solidarity amid persistent “grey-zone provocations”[1][5][11]. Security experts note that these actions may be intended both to pressure Taiwan and to signal China’s ability to swiftly project force in response to perceived challenges, such as diplomatic visits or broader geopolitical events.

Despite repeated calls for restraint from Taipei and warnings by international partners, Beijing continues to regard the island as its own territory and responds to defense drills and independence-leaning rhetoric with escalating military activity.