ANKARA

Taiwan Tuesday claimed that China has deployed the largest naval fleet in decades in waters surrounding the island and the neighboring countries for military maneuvers.

Beijing refused to comment on the claim.

​​​​​​​In response to Taiwan’s claim and whether Beijing is currently conducting or planning to hold military exercises around the island this week, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she recommended directing the question to the “relevant department in China for details.”

The Taiwan question, she said, is China’s internal matter, and it will “resolutely” defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China considers Taiwan its "break away" province, while Taipei insists on its independence.

Earlier, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said the scale of Beijing’s naval deployment, ranging from Japan's southern islands to the South China Sea, is larger than that in 2022, Taiwan News reported.

Sun said the scale of this week's exercises “is the largest compared to the previous four” and poses a threat.

The ministry did not confirm a report that 90 Chinese naval ships had been deployed for the exercises.

Visa restrictions on US personnel

China has decided to impose visa restrictions on US personnel who have exhibited “egregious” behavior regarding Hong Kong-related issues, in accordance with China's Foreign Relations Law and Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Her remarks came in response to a question about Beijing’s specific countermeasures in light of the US announcement to impose new visa restrictions on Hong Kong officials for implementing the National Security Law for Hong Kong.

In 2020, China passed the new national security law to rein in the semi-autonomous region after months of protests.