--- title: "Taiwan monitors Chinese military drills near its coast" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/taiwan-monitors-chinese-military-drills-near-its-coast" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/taiwan-monitors-chinese-military-drills-near-its-coast" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/taiwan-monitors-chinese-military-drills-near-its-coast.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/taiwan-monitors-chinese-military-drills-near-its-coast" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "China" published: "2026-10-12T05:45:36.803Z" source_reported: "2026-10-12T05:25:14.000Z" updated: "2026-10-12T05:45:36.803Z" trust_score: 86 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-12T05:45:08.936709+00:00" --- # Taiwan monitors Chinese military drills near its coast *Taipei says exercises are off China's coast, while Beijing cites deterrence of independence moves.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 86 of 100, higher is better. Includes named minister Wellington Koo, official statements and specific distances from the Maritime Bureau. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Quotes officials, gives precise figures, explains relevance and next steps clearly. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headline and digests are measured; no sensational language used. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Taiwan's Defence Minister Wellington Koo confirmed the military is monitoring Chinese live-fire drills scheduled to run for six days. - Taipei assesses the exercises will be held off China's coastline, not near Taiwan. - China's Maritime Safety Administration issued no-sail notices for five marine areas. - Beijing stated the drills serve as a deterrent to "Taiwan independence" moves. Taiwan's military is closely monitoring a series of Chinese live-fire drills scheduled to take place this week. Defence Minister Wellington Koo stated that Taiwan has assessed the exercises would be held off the coast of China, rather than near Taiwan itself. The drills are expected to involve PLA artillery units. China's Maritime Safety Administration issued no-sail notices for five marine areas in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, and Bohai Sea, where the exercises are anticipated. ## Location of drills Le Figaro reports the drills will be off Taiwan's coast. In contrast, Taipei Times reports they will be off China's coastline. The Maritime and Port Bureau stated two exercise areas are 159 nautical miles and 588 nautical miles from Taiwan. Three other designated areas in the Bohai and Yellow seas were outside Taiwan's waters, according to the bureau. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the specific distances of the exercise areas from Taiwan, which were reported by Taipei Times and the Maritime and Port Bureau. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 14% (1) - Centre: 29% (2) - Right: 57% (4) 1 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-12T05:45:08.936709+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-12T06:00:18.939Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from Taipei Times focused on Taiwan's assessment that the military exercises would be held off China's coastline, not near Taiwan. It quoted Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo stating the drills would involve PLA artillery units and that the Maritime and Port Bureau confirmed two exercise areas were 159 and 588 nautical miles from Taiwan. The report also included China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Chen Xi stating the exercises serve to deter "Taiwan independence" moves and foreign interference. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports from WTVB and Reuters highlighted Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo's statement that the military is monitoring a series of Chinese live-fire drills taking place this week. Both digests mentioned the China Maritime Safety Administration issuing no-sail notices. ### Right - The right-rated reports from Le Figaro, regionalmedianews.com, Free Malaysia Today News, and The Straits Times focused on Taiwan closely monitoring Chinese live-fire drills. Le Figaro's headline stated Taiwan would "survey closely" new exercises with real shots. The digests noted the drills were scheduled to last more than a week and would be off Taiwan's coast, while Beijing has been threatening to use force for years. Free Malaysia Today News mentioned preliminary assessments indicated firing exercises by coastal artillery and related units. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 5 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Le Figaro](https://lefigaro.fr/international/se-preparer-au-pire-taiwan-va-surveiller-de-pres-de-nouveaux-exercices-chinois-a-tirs-reels-20261012) — "Preparing for the Worst": Taiwan Will "Survey Closely" New Chinese Exercises with Real Shots - [ouest-france.fr](https://ouest-france.fr/monde/taiwan/taiwan-va-surveiller-de-pres-de-nouveaux-exercices-chinois-a-tirs-reels-af8d6e64-c5f5-11f1-92e9-819eb738846b) — Taiwan Will "Closely Watch" New Chinese Exercises with Real Shots - [regionalmedianews.com](https://regionalmedianews.com/world/taiwan-says-it-is-closely-monitoring-series-of-chinese-live-fire-drills) — Taiwan says it is closely monitoring series of Chinese live-fire drills - Regional Media News - [Free Malaysia Today News](https://freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/12/taiwan-closely-monitors-series-of-chinese-live-fire-drills) — Taiwan closely monitors series of Chinese live-fire drills - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/10/11/taiwan-says-it-is-closely-monitoring-series-of-chinese-live-fire-drills) — Taiwan says it is closely monitoring series of Chinese live-fire drills - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/asia/taiwan-says-it-is-closely-monitoring-series-of-chinese-live-fire-drills) — Taiwan says it is closely monitoring series of Chinese live-fire drills - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/world/china/taiwan-says-it-is-closely-monitoring-series-chinese-live-fire-drills-2026-10-12) — Taiwan says it is closely monitoring series of Chinese live-fire drills - [Taipei Times](https://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/10/12/2003865828) — PLA drills this week far from Taiwan: Koo ## Questions **Where are the Chinese military drills taking place?** Taiwan's Defence Minister Wellington Koo assesses the drills are off China's coastline. Le Figaro reports they are off Taiwan's coast. The Maritime and Port Bureau stated two exercise areas are 159 and 588 nautical miles from Taiwan, while three others are outside Taiwan's waters. **What is the purpose of the Chinese military drills?** China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Chen Xi stated the routine military exercises serve to deter "Taiwan independence" moves and plots involving foreign interference. Beijing has also been threatening to use force for several years to regain control of the island. **When are the Chinese military drills scheduled to occur?** The Chinese military exercises are scheduled to begin this week and last for six days, concluding on Saturday. China's Maritime Safety Administration issued no-sail notices for five marine areas ahead of these exercises. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/taiwan-monitors-chinese-military-drills-near-its-coast. 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