As of December 6, 2025, more than 90 People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships operated in the region, according to Reuters, down from over 100 earlier this week and surpassing China's mass naval deployment in December last year as the largest maritime show of force to date. The deployment aligns with an upward trajectory in PLAN activities across Near Taiwan, East, and South Theatres, driven by newly inducted combatants becoming operational over recent years, as noted in analysis shared during the reporting window from 8:45 AM to 11:45 AM UTC on December 7. Reuters' assessment, cited in a post by analyst Alex Luck9 on X, highlighted the scale of the operation based on visual confirmations and sources.
