Over 30 Chinese military planes seen around Taiwan
More than 30 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan in a 24-hour window, Taipei’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday, marking the largest show of force around the island since it held crucial elections.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and has never renounced the use of force to try to bring the self-ruled island under its control.
Ahead of Taiwan’s January 13 poll, Beijing warned voters that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) leadership candidate Lai Ching-te — the island’s current deputy leader, whom China has called a “dangerous separatist” — would bring “war and decline” if chosen to lead.
Lai still won the election, securing an unprecedented third term for the DPP, which has long rejected China’s territorial claim on Taiwan.
In the 24 hours leading up to 6 a.m. on Saturday, the Defense Ministry detected 33 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval ships operating around Taiwan, it said in a statement.
Thirteen of the aircraft “crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” it said.
Taiwan’s armed forces have “monitored the situation and employed (air patrol) aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” the ministry added.
Two Chinese balloons were also detected crossing the sensitive Taiwan Strait, which separates the mainland from the island.
The show of force also came after a visit by two United States lawmakers, Democrat Ami Bera of California and Republican Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, to Taipei to meet Lai and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim, which Beijing criticized as an “independence duo.”
Lai has, in the past, been outspoken about the issue — a red line for China — calling himself a “pragmatic worker of Taiwan independence.” But he has moderated his stance and vowed to follow leader Tsai Ing-wen’s path of maintaining the status quo while bolstering the island’s defense capabilities.
Two days after his election, Pacific nation Nauru announced it was switching its diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing, reducing Taiwan’s already short list of allies to 12.
One of them, Tuvalu, is now being closely watched, as its pro-Taiwan prime minister Kausea Natano just lost his parliamentary seat, released election results showed on Saturday.
The planes’ sighting also came a day after Beijing said its top diplomat Wang Yi would discuss Taiwan with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during talks in Thailand, as part of efforts for their countries to improve relations after years of tensions.
“Wang Yi will state China’s position on China-US relations, Taiwan and other issues, and will exchange views with the US on international and regional issues of common concern,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news conference on Friday.
Earlier, Beijing said Wang would meet Sullivan in Thailand’s capital Bangkok and would stay in the Southeast Asian country until Monday.
The US said the talks would take place over Friday and Saturday.