Defense officials in Taiwan said they were monitoring Chinese aircraft and naval vessels that had circled near the island and its military was responding to “these activities,” they said.
“29 PLA (People’s Liberation Army) aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected today at 6:00 (UTC+8), Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense tweeted local time Tuesday morning. The military monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities”.
A later tweet said 21 Chinese aircraft had entered Taiwan’s Southeast Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
CHINA FURIOUS AFTER PELOSI LANDING IN TAIWAN, PROMISE ‘ALL NECESSARY MEASURES’ TO DEFEND ITSELF
Chinese planes and naval vessels have been spotted near Taiwan, the island’s defense officials said.
(Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan)
A day earlier, Taiwan’s defense officials said Chinese aircraft and naval vessels were also detected near the country’s borders.
Taiwan government officials believe China is preparing a pretext for an attack on the island after a year of threats and military incursions.
Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s foreign minister, told The Guardian that China “is getting more serious than ever”. China recently staged live-fire military exercises around Taiwan after Houston spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi visited the island.
The Chinese military was reportedly practicing sea blockades and missile launches, as well as land combat. The Chinese military is using advanced technology in the exercises, including J-20 stealth fighters and DF-17 hypersonic missiles.
Chinese military helicopters fly over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, Fujian province on Aug. 4, 2022, ahead of massive military exercises off Taiwan following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the self-governed island.
(HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)
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“And we’re pretty sure the Chinese might want to use another pretext to practice their future attacks against Taiwan. So this is a military threat against Taiwan,” Wu told the newspaper.
