TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday said China's Liaoning aircraft carrier was detected in Taiwan's southeastern waters amid reports of possible military exercises.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the Liaoning carrier group was spotted Tuesday sailing southeast between Okinawa and Miyako Island toward the Western Pacific, per UDN. Fighter jets and helicopters were seen taking off and landing on the carrier roughly 190 km southeast of Miyako Island. 

Colonel Hu Chung-hua (胡中華), an intelligence officer at the MND's Office of the Deputy Chief of General Staff for Intelligence, confirmed that the Liaoning is in waters southeast of Taiwan and the military is tracking its movements. When asked about reports suggesting China might launch exercises near the Dragon Boat Festival, Hu said the ministry would not comment, but would assess the situation and respond.

A reporter noted the Chinese military magazine Naval and Merchant Ships recently claimed the best time for a potential attack on Taiwan would be "a weekday afternoon before a summer typhoon." It suggested that precision strikes on Taiwan's critical infrastructure could paralyze the country. 

Colonel Su Tung-wei (蘇統偉), deputy head of the MND's General Staff Operations and Planning Department, said the military has already completed operational plans to counter various possible invasion scenarios. He stressed the military follows the national critical infrastructure protection guidelines issued by the Cabinet's Office of Homeland Security. 

Su emphasized that future drills, including combat patrols and the Han Kuang exercise, will enhance infrastructure defense through real-world scenario training.