The claims were described as either exaggerations made by influencers or Chinese propaganda asserting that the People's Republic of China already controls Taiwan. Suspicions were raised by biographical information on Fablex, one of the accounts that shared the map.
Large exercises aimed at pressuring Taiwan had largely taken place on the side of the island facing China."Now we are seeing operations take place in the north, the south and the centre,"Véron said.
China has carried out major military drills around Taiwan since early November, deploying significant forces from Nov. 2. The scale does not indicate an imminent invasion, Véron 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.
It is a continuation of the pressure China has long put on Taiwan. Soldiers describe the activity as a drill, a training exercise run in real geographic and operational conditions.
Unlike last year's military drill, Chinese authorities did not announce the operations before they began, no doubt by design.
Véron said the extent of the operations underway is unprecedented."For several days now, we've seen a gigantic naval operation underway,"Véron said.
That does not mean Taiwan is about to be taken by force."We are not going to wake up tomorrow to an operation where Taiwan is being taken by force,"Véron said.
An animated map shared online shows dozens of planes taking off from continental China, flying toward Taiwan, encircling the island and isolating it from the air. In the same depiction, dozens of Chinese navy ships appear to form an airtight blockade around Taiwan.
Those images do not match what was observed. On the same day, just eight Chinese ships were spotted near Taiwan. According to MarineTraffic, civilian ships have continued to circulate around Taiwan.
"It is possible that we are seeing the winding down of these operations,"Véron said.