Of those, 49 entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone – a buffer of airspace commonly referred to as an ADIZ. On Friday, 68 Chinese warplanes were reported in the Taiwan Strait, according to the ministry. Of the 20 aircraft, 14 crossed the median line, it added. On Saturday, 14 vessels and 20 planes operated by the Chinese military were detected around the strait, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. That marked the first time China had sent missiles over the island.
The previous days’ drills had seen a number of air and maritime operations around the island, including the launch of 11 ballistic missiles on Thursday – some of which flew over the island of Taiwan and landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The Chinese Communist Party views self-governing Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has long vowed to “reunify” the island with the Chinese mainland – by force if necessary. In addition to the drills, Beijing also launched a raft of diplomatic penalties, including canceling future phone calls between Chinese and US defense leaders and suspending bilateral climate talks. The stop, which was expected but not announced beforehand, was part of a larger Asia tour.Ĭhinese officials had repeatedly warned Washington of unspecified repercussions in the lead-up to the expected trip. It also said drones “intruded” into outlying islands controlled by Taiwan.Ĭhina announced the drills – whose scale marks a significant escalation from past activities – within an hour of the arrival of Pelosi and a congressional delegation in Taiwan on Tuesday evening. Taiwan’s military “closely monitored” the situation and deployed aircraft and vessels to “appropriately” react to Chinese military drills around the island, the Defense Ministry added. (Photo by An Rong Xu/Getty Images) An Rong Xu/Getty Images/FILEĭoes Taiwan have its own airspace? China sets military drills close to island after Pelosi visit Wartime anti-tank barricades litter the beach and also features the Zhaishan tunnel, which Taiwanese forces still reserve the right to use in wartime and for military exercises. It is one of the few areas of Taiwan that mainland Chinese tourists can visit without visas or permits, and has deep ties with the adjacent Fujian province of China locals have seen a boost to their incomes from Chinese tourism in pre-pandemic times. Kinmen, an island in the Taiwan strait that is part of Taiwan's territory, is so close to China that the deep-water port of Xiamen, one of China's biggest, lies less than three miles away across the water. KINMEN, TAIWAN - FEBRUARY 02: A view of the South China Sea between the city of Xiamen in China, in the far distance, and the islands of Kinmen in Taiwan, in the foreground, on Februas seen from the airspace above Kinmen, Taiwan.
The ministry previously called the drills a “simulated attack against the main island of Taiwan and Taiwan’s naval vessels” – a slight dial-up of language from Saturday when it said that Chinese military drills around the island could be a “possible simulated attack.” local time on Sunday, 66 Chinese warplanes and 14 Chinese vessels were detected operating around the Taiwan Strait.Īmong the 22 jets entering the airspace around Taiwan, 12 crossed the median line, the statement read. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said that as of 5 p.m. The exercises, planned to take place in six zones around the island, began Thursday and were scheduled to last until Sunday at noon local time in Beijing, Chinese state media reported. “The drills focused on joint fire land strikes and long-range air strike capabilities,” the command said in a statement posted to its official account on the social media platform Weibo, without specifying whether the drills have ended. A Taiwanese military vessel patrols near the east coast in Yilan county on August 7, 2022.
0 kommentar(er)
