Status: 26.12.2022 08:00 a.m
71 fighter jets and drones as well as seven warships – the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has held large-scale maneuvers around Taiwan. Many planes apparently entered the island’s airspace.
China deployed more than 70 warplanes in a military exercise near Taiwan, according to the Taiwan Defense Ministry. 71 Chinese aircraft and seven ships were located within 24 hours.
47 of the aircraft had penetrated the island’s airspace surveillance zone (ADIZ), the ministry said on the short message service Twitter. According to Taiwan’s official news agency, this was the largest border violation by the Chinese air force to date.
State-of-the-art fighter jets in action
Among the fighter jets were six SU-30 fighter jets, which are among the most modern in China. According to Taipei sources, most of the planes crossed the “center line,” which runs along the Taiwan Strait and separates Taiwan and China.
Yesterday, the People’s Liberation Army of China said it had “organized joint combat readiness patrols and offensive drills on the water and in the air around the island of Taiwan.”
Response to “provocations” by the USA
According to an army spokesman, it was a determined response to “the current escalation and provocation” by the United States and Taiwan. The US Congress passed the government’s new budget on Friday. The Department of Defense will be awarded $858 billion after $740 billion last fiscal year. Also included are up to $10 billion for Taiwan’s security.
The budget also includes a clause restricting government purchases of goods containing computer chips made by certain Chinese companies. On Saturday, China’s foreign ministry expressed its “strong opposition” to military aid.
Tensions have increased since Pelosi’s visit
In August, senior US politician Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan heightened tensions between the US and China. The People’s Army then held the largest military maneuvers in its history in the waters around Taiwan.
Since the split between China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary using military force. China has increased military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the island nation. Beijing opposes any diplomacy that might lend legitimacy to Taiwan and has responded with increasing anger to visits by Western officials and politicians.