Nine fighter jets and one Chinese military drone crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait in a 24-hour period.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said 10 Chinese aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which is usually the unofficial barrier between the two sides, as Beijing continued military operations near the island.
In a daily report on China’s military activities, the ministry said nine fighter jets and one military drone crossed the median line in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. local time on Monday. Saturday (20:00 GMT Friday).
Taiwan sent fighter jets to warn the Chinese planes, while missile systems tracked them, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.
Taiwan, which China claims as its territoryhas complained in recent years about the near-daily missions of the Chinese air force near the democratically administered island, usually to the southwest of the air defense identification zone.
Nine Chinese planes that crossed the median line on Friday were conducting combat readiness patrols, a move Taiwan’s defense ministry said had “deliberately created tension” and undermined peace. calm and stable.
Beijing has threatened unspecified retaliation if Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, currently on a visit to Central Americashould meet the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy as she transits through the United States on her trip to Latin America.
Tsai arrived in Guatemala on Friday for a visit aimed at bolstering ties with waning allies after Honduras became the latest country to cut diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing. She will also visit neighboring Belize.
Tsai is expected to meet McCarthy in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei later this month from Central America.
Washington has said there is no reason for China to “overreact” to the “normal, incident-free” trip, while Beijing warns US is ‘playing with fire’ about Tsai being received by officials in the US.
China held exercises around Taiwan in August after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei and continued military operations near Taiwan, albeit on a small scale. than.
A senior Taiwanese official familiar with the island’s security planning told Reuters this week that China is unlikely to repeat such large drills, but all preparations have been made in the coming weeks. the case of China’s “unreasonable” response.
