Is the PLA rehearsing operations to keep US forces out of a Taiwan conflict?

More than 100 vessels have been reported in the western Pacific and South China Sea but no large-scale drill has been announced

Recent mainland Chinese naval deployments in the western Pacific and South China Sea have raised questions over whether Beijing is rehearsing operations to stop US and allied forces from intervening in a Taiwan conflict, according to analysts.

Beijing has not announced any large-scale drill in relation to recent People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval activities.

But a November 6 assessment by US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said the PLA could be conducting a major exercise simulating the isolation of Taiwan, with warships positioned to deter or prevent outside intervention.