The Taiwanese Government has issued an announcement today in which they reveal that a large fleet of Chinese military aircraft has performed a flyover close to its territory.
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Heightened tensions
Over the recent years,China has bumped up economic, military, and diplomatic pressure on the breakaway island of Taiwan to once again recognise the authorities in Bejing.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has opted for peace but also vowed to defend itself if attacked, Reuters reports.
During the past months, tensions have escalated, especially given the context of ever-strengthening US-Taiwanese relationships.
US President Biden had previously said Taiwan would receive all the support it would need in case of an attack and strongly warned China against such a scenario.
In October, the US government recognised China as a major threat while this month it confirmed a new round of financial support towards Taiwan.
The largest incursion into the ‘Taiwanese Strait’
According to Sky News, Taiwan has reported today the largest entry of Chinese military aircraft into its air defence identification zone.
47 of the detected aircraft (J-11*12, SU-30*6, CH-4 UCAV RECCE*1, J-10*6, J-16*18, Y-8 EW*1, Y-8 ASW*1, KJ-500*1, WZ-7 UAV RECCE*1) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 26, 2022
The Chinese performed a flyover of over 70 aircraft including fighter jets and drones, while of those 43 briefly crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line.
In 1955, the US successfully managed to reach an agreement between China and Taiwan to accept that neither side cross this median line.
In addition to the fleet of aircraft, Taiwan also identified seven Chinese navy ships near its borders.
Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, has said that the Chinese actions are a response to the US-Taiwan provocations.
This is a firm response to the current US-Taiwan escalation and provocation.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wencalled for boosting the island’s defence capacity 'due to the continuous expansion of authoritarianism'.
The more preparations we make, the less likely there will be rash attempts of aggression. The more united we are, the stronger and safer Taiwan would become.
Sources used:
-Reuters: ‘Taiwan reports China's largest incursion yet to air defence zone’
-SkyNews: ‘China launches its largest incursion into Taiwan's air defence zone’
