Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Wednesday that it detected the presence of six Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships in the vicinity of the island around 6 a.m. local time.According to the MND, the armed forces assessed the activity and responded accordingly.In a post on theThe ministry said no Chinese military aircraft were detected in the vicinity of Taiwan during the reporting period.The latest sighting follows a similar report issued by the MND on Tuesday, when it also detected six PLAN vessels operating near the island’s waters.The repeated naval activity comes amid ongoing Chinese military operations around Taiwan, which Taipei has closely monitored in recent years.Taipei has already taken steps toward strengthening its defenses against a possible Chinese blockade or invasion. According to a Reuters report published on June 4, Taiwan plans to expand its anti-ship missile arsenal to more than 1,800 missiles by early 2029.The stockpile will largely consist of US-supplied Harpoon missiles and domestically produced Hsiung Feng missiles. Analysts say the expanded arsenal could help establish a ‘kill zone’ in the Taiwan Strait, enabling Taiwan to inflict significant damage on any attacking force.According to Taiwanese media reports, Taiwan’s first domestically-built submarine recently departed Kaohsiung Port for another round of sea trials.