32 Chinese warplanes detected around Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – Taiwan’s defense ministry said Thursday that 32 Chinese military aircraft were detected around the island in a 24-hour window — the second-highest number this year.

In the 24 hours leading up to 6:00 a.m. Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday), the Ministry of National Defense also detected five naval ships operating around Taiwan, it said.

Thirteen of the aircraft “crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” it added in a statement.

Taiwan’s armed forces have “monitored the situation and employed (patrol) aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.”

In two other 24-hour periods in late January and early February, the ministry detected 33 Chinese warplanes around the island, the highest number this year.

Those detections followed the January 13 presidential election won by current Vice

President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing dislikes.

Last month, Taiwan said 11 Chinese naval vessels were detected around Taiwan, the most this year, as a row between Taipei and Beijing over a fatal fishing boat incident dragged on.

A Chinese speedboat carrying four people capsized on February 14 near Taiwan’s Kinmen islands while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard, killing two people while another two survived.

The incident occurred against a backdrop of growing tensions between China and Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary.

Beijing has accused Taiwanese authorities of “seeking to evade their responsibilities and hide the truth” about the incident, while a Taiwanese coast guard official has said the boat involved was zigzagging and “lost its balance” before capsizing.