China intensifies pressure around Taiwan with record ship presence; Taipei approves $7.6 billion drone budget
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "China intensifies pressure around Taiwan with record ship presence; Taipei approves $7.6 billion drone budget")
A handout photo from Taiwan Coast Guard taken and released on July 8, 2026 shows a Taiwan Coast Guard patrol vessel (R) sailing near a China Coast Guard ship in waters south of Kinmen, in Kinmen, Taiwan. Photograph: (AFP)
China has increased maritime pressure around Taiwan with a record number of ships, while Taipei has approved a $7.6 billion drone budget to strengthen its defences against a potential Chinese attack.
China has continued to increase pressure on neighbouring Taiwan, deploying a record number of coast guard, scientific research and other vessels around the island last month. Taiwan's coast guard has warned that the situation is becoming increasingly severe.
According to AFP, citing Taipei coast guard data, Chinese ships detected around Taiwan and several of its outer islands since May have reached 1,247.
"When we say the situation is becoming increasingly severe, we mean that the number of their government vessels in the waters surrounding Taiwan has increased, and there was a marked increase in July," a senior coast guard official quoted as saying by AFP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
The Communist Party "has never ruled Taiwan for even a single day" and "without sovereignty over land, it has no right to claim economic zones at sea," the official said.
Taiwan faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. China's growing maritime presence has also raised concerns about a possible quarantine or blockade that could prevent ships carrying energy or other critical supplies from entering or leaving its ports.
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Taiwan approves $7.6 billion drone budget
Amid rising tensions with Beijing and increasing pressure from the United States, Taiwan lawmakers approved a $7.6 billion budget for locally made drones on Thursday. The island democracy aims to strengthen its defences against a potential Chinese attack.
Taiwan has increased military spending in recent years and is building up its defence industry to produce more equipment and ammunition locally. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force.
President Lai Ching wants Taiwan to produce enough drones on its own to repel a potential attack from China.
The United States also stepped up pressure on Taiwan to approve the drone bill, with calls for lawmakers to pass the legislation intensifying in recent weeks. During a visit to Taipei last month, Republican lawmaker Young Kim said, "Time is short."
"The wars over Ukraine and Iran show that Taiwan needs to buy and build drones at a huge scale," Kim said at the Presidential Office.
Taiwan remains heavily reliant on US arms sales to deter China and faces pressure from Washington to spend more on its own security.
The war in Ukraine has shown how smaller and more nimble weapons, including drones, can play a critical role in waging asymmetric warfare against a mightier military.
