Taipei detected this Saturday the presence of 42 Chinese military aircraft in the vicinity of the island, hours after China announced the start of maritime and air military exercises in the surroundings of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the detected planes included J-10 and J-11 fighters, with 26 of the 42 planes crossing the median line separating the island from mainland China.
In a statement released on the social network X (formerly Twitter), the ministry added that eight Chinese military ships were also detected among the incursions, which began around 9:00 am (02:00 am in Lisbon).
As of 0900 (UTC+8) today (August 19), the ROC Armed Forces detected 42 PLA aircraft (including KJ-500, Y-9, J-10, J-11, J-16, SU-30, etc.), 26 of which crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait. In addition, the PLA aircraft conducted a joint combat patrol with 8 PLAN ships.
– 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC (@MoNDefense) August 19, 2023
Taiwanese authorities responded by deploying planes and ships and activating ground-based missile systems, according to the statement.
Hours earlier, the Chinese Army had announced the start of maritime and air military exercises around Taiwan, in a “serious warning” to the island’s “separatist groups” and the “external forces” that support them.
In response, Taipei’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it “strongly condemns this irrational and provocative behavior and will deploy appropriate forces in response… to defend Taiwan’s freedom, democracy and sovereignty.”
China’s Foreign Ministry had promised last Sunday “firm measures” against Taiwanese Vice President William Lai Ching-te’s visit to the United States, calling it an attack on his claims to sovereignty over Taiwan.
William Lai returned to Taipei on Friday, after traveling to Paraguay, where he participated in the inauguration of Santiago Peña as the new president of that country, one of the few to officially recognize Taiwan.
The vice president made two stops in New York and San Francisco, after being received by representatives of the American Institute of Taiwan, which acts as the de facto embassy of the United States on the island, in the absence of diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei.
China considers Taiwan one of its provinces and does not renounce the possible use of military force to achieve reunification.
The Chinese military had already launched three-day exercises around Taiwan in April, in response to a meeting in the United States between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
William Tai was chosen by the Democratic Progressive Party, currently in power in Taiwan, as a candidate to succeed Tsai Ing-wen in the elections scheduled for 2024.
Source: TSF
