English
A viral animated map circulating on social media in early November claimed that China had taken control of Taiwan, showing warplanes encircling the island and navy ships forming a complete blockade. The post attracted more than 700,000 views across multiple accounts on X. However, experts and available evidence clearly contradict this claim.
What the Military Drills Actually Involved
China did launch significant military operations near Taiwan starting November 2. Joseph Wu, secretary general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, confirmed on November 3 that around 100 Chinese navy and coast guard ships were operating in the western Pacific. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence also reported 49 Chinese military aircraft near the island that same day.
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However, Emmanuel Véron, an associate researcher in geopolitics at HEC Paris, said these deployments did not amount to a blockade. “This claim is absolutely false,” he said. “It’s either exaggerations made by influencers or Chinese propaganda claiming the People’s Republic of China controls Taiwan.”
By November 8 and 9, the situation had changed considerably. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence reported just one Chinese aircraft north of Taiwan during a 24-hour period. Only eight Chinese ships were spotted nearby. “Eight ships are just not enough to organise a blockade,” Véron noted. “It is possible that we are seeing the winding down of these operations.”
Civilian Shipping Continued Normally
Data from MarineTraffic further undermined the blockade claim. Civilian vessels continued moving freely around Taiwan throughout the period. For example, the container ship One Hanoi departed from Kaohsiung port in southern Taiwan on November 3 — the peak day for Chinese military aircraft activity — and sailed into the Taiwan Strait without obstruction.
The animated map itself originated partly from a suspicious account called Fablex. The profile claimed a California location, but X’s own account data listed Uganda as the base. Combined with a pattern of sensationalist posts on unrelated topics, this suggested the account operated primarily to generate viral traffic rather than report accurate information.
An Unprecedented Scale, but Not an Invasion
Despite the misleading framing online, Véron acknowledged the scale of China’s military activity was genuinely significant. “For several days now, we’ve seen a gigantic naval operation underway,” he said. “The naval contingent involves about a hundred ships from the Chinese navy, the Coast Guard and even auxiliary fishing ships across different fronts. In that, we are seeing a kind of first.”
Previously, large Chinese military exercises near Taiwan focused mainly on the side of the island facing mainland China. This time, operations extended to the north, south and centre. A map published by the Institute for the Study of War showed Chinese naval deployments on November 3 also covering the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea.
Nevertheless, Véron was clear about what these drills do not represent. “We are not going to wake up tomorrow to an operation where Taiwan is being taken by force,” he said. “The aim is to simulate a real military operation — to train, to test and to exert pressure on the Taiwanese government and Taiwan’s allies.” China also did not announce the exercises in advance, unlike previous drills. Véron suggested this may reflect a deliberate communications strategy, possibly timed ahead of the APEC summit scheduled in China on November 18.
