China retaliates with jets, ships near Taiwan

Payback for president’s visit with U.S. speaker

BEIJING — China sent warships and dozens of fighter jets toward Taiwan on Saturday, the Taiwanese government said, in retaliation for a meeting between the U.S. House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The Chinese military announced the start of three-day “combat readiness patrols” as a warning to Taiwanese who want to make the island’s de facto independence permanent. The People’s Liberation Army gave no indication whether they might include a repeat of previous exercises with missiles fired into the sea, which disrupted shipping and airline flights.

Speaker Kevin Mccarthy held talks with President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday in California, adding to a series of foreign lawmakers who have met Tsai to show support in the face of Chinese intimidation. Beijing responded Friday by imposing a travel ban and financial sanctions against American groups and individuals associated with Tsai’s U.S. visit.

On Saturday, eight warships and 71 planes were detected near Taiwan, 45 of which flew across the middle line of the strait that separates it from the mainland, the island’s Ministry of Defense said. It said they included Chengdu J-10, Shenyang J-11 and Shenyang J-16 jet fighters.

Also Saturday, the navy planned to hold “live fire training” in Luoyuan Bay in Fujian province opposite Taiwan, the local Maritime Authority announced. Ships were banned during the firing, which also was due to take place on five dates over the next two weeks.

Taiwan split with China in 1949 after a civil war. The ruling Communist Party says the island is obliged to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing says contact with foreign officials encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step the ruling party says would lead to war.

“This is a serious warning against the collusion and provocation between the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external forces,” said a PLA statement. The “Joint Sword” exercises “defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Plans also called for the exercise to include a destroyer, missile boats, ballistic missiles and land-based anti-ship missiles as well as early warning, electronic warfare and tanker aircraft, according to the The Global Times, a newspaper published by the Communist Party.

The Taiwanese military said missile defense systems were activated and air and sea patrols sent to track the Chinese aircraft.

“We condemn such an irrational act that has jeopardized regional security and stability,” a Ministry of Defense statement said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government has stepped up efforts to intimidate the island by flying fighter jets and bombers nearby and firing missiles into the sea.

The Associated Press In an image taken from video footage run Saturday by China’s CCTV, a Chinese fighter jet performs a midair refueling maneuver at an unspecified location near Taiwan.