The Defense Ministry in Taiwan on Wednesday said that it had detected 53 Chinese aircraft and 19 ships near the island over a 24-hour period.
The latest movement of Chinese aircraft and vessels around the island comes as Beijing conducts its largest military drills in years.
Chinese planes and vessels ‘operating around Taiwan’
“53 PLA aircraft, 11 PLAN vessels and 8 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a post on social media platform X.
“23 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ,” the ministry said, referring to its air defense identification zone.
Taiwan’s military said that it had monitored and responded to the situation.
Taiwanese military officials said that 100 Chinese sorties had been detected near the island over the past two days.
Taiwan denounces drills
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry accused Beijing of being a “troublemaker” in mounting the drills.
Taipei “solemnly demands that the Beijing authorities immediately stop military intimidation and all irrational activities that endanger regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry accused Taipei of stoking instability in the Taiwan Strait.
“Harming the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is the work of Taiwan independence separatist forces, with the support of external actors,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington was monitoring the situation. He said that the US would “help Taiwan acquire the means to defend itself” and ensure “nobody does anything to change the status quo in the [Taiwan Strait].”
Taiwan reports largest Chinese drills in decades
On Tuesday, Taiwan said that China had deployed its largest naval fleet in regional waters in nearly three decades, deploying around 90 ships along the so-called first island chain, which links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.
China’s Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) has yet to comment on any increased military activity in the region and the latest spike in tensions comes after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s visits to the United States last week.
The Reuters news agency cited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office as saying on Wednesday that the government would never let go unchecked Taiwan “separatist” forces colluding with external forces to seek independence, when questioned about Chinese military activity around Taiwan.
France’s AFP news agency cited a Taiwanese security official as saying that Beijing aimed to “draw a red line” on Taiwan ahead of the US president elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
“The real objective appears to be asserting control within the first island chain and establishing strategic deterrence ahead of the US presidential transition,” the security said.
While Taiwan considers itself a sovereign nation, China claims it as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control.
kb/rmt (AFP, Reuters)
