Taiwan says China has launched biggest maritime operation in decades

FILE - A Taiwanese navy soldier monitors China's Shandong aircraft carrier at sea, east of Taiwan, in this handout picture taken and released by Taiwan's defense ministry on April 5, 2023.

Defense officials in Taiwan say China has deployed nearly 90 naval and coast guard vessels in waters stretching from islands in the south of Japan to the South China Sea. The deployment is the largest to regional waters in almost three decades, Taiwanese officials say, and part of what appears to be a military exercise.