Taiwan sent jets to repel 29 Chinese planes penetrating the air defense identification zone, including bombers flying south of the island and into the Pacific Ocean.
China’s anti-aircraft gun invasion on Tuesday is the latest rise in tensions between Taipei and Beijing, indicating China’s largest air defense identification zone breach since late May. According to the Taiwan Department of Defense, the latest Chinese missions included 17 fighters and 6 H-6 bombers, electronic warfare, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, and tanker aircraft.
Taiwan sent fighters to repel Chinese planes, and missile systems were deployed to patrol their routes, the ministry said in standard language.
Taiwan, which claims China as its territory, has been complaining about China’s repeated air force missions in the southwestern part of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) near the Taiwan-controlled Platas Islands for more than two years. According to the Pentagon map, some Chinese planes were flying in the northeastern region of Platas. The bomber, accompanied by electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft, jumped into the Bashi Strait, which separates Taiwan and the Philippines, and then into the Pacific Ocean before returning to China. This was the largest intrusion into the air defense identification zone since Taiwan flew 30 Chinese aircraft into the air defense identification zone on May 30. The largest ever this year occurred in January, affecting 39 aircraft. Taiwan calls such military activities China’s “gray zone” war. It aims to exhaust Taiwanese troops by repeatedly staggering them and to test Taiwan’s response. In the past there was no immediate comment from China that such a move was an exercise to protect the sovereignty of the country.
On Friday, China launched Fujian Province, the third aircraft carrier named after the state opposite Taiwan.
Chinese troops conducted exercises around Taiwan last month, describing it as a “solemn warning” about “cooperation” with the United States on a democratically operated island.
This is a clear indication of a change in Washington’s “policy of deliberate” policy towards Taiwan, with U.S. President Joe Biden saying that if China attacks the island, the U.S. will interfere militarily. After making me angry. China is pressing Taiwan to accept its claim of sovereignty. The Taipei government says it wants peace, but will defend itself if attacked.
In the last quarter of 2021, China’s ADIZ invasion surged, with the largest one-day intrusion on October 4, when 56 Chinese fighters entered the zone. Chinese planes have not invaded Taiwan’s airspace, but have invaded ADIZ, a wider area that monitors and patrols Taiwan and acts to give the island more time to respond to threats.
