Chinese military planes and vessels have been detected near Taiwan, defense officials said on Wednesday, the latest incursion amid rising tensions between the two nations.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry tweeted that 16 Chinese Liberation Army planes and three navy ships were seen around 6 a.m. local time. In response, Taiwan said it was monitoring the situation.
“The Armed Forces have monitored the situation and have tasked CAP aircraft, Navy ships and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” the Defense Ministry tweeted.
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In a subsequent tweet, he said that four Chinese military aircraft “had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ” (Air Defense Identification Zone).
Raids by Chinese forces have become an almost daily occurrence. On Monday, Chinese military aircraft and several vessels were detected near Taiwan in what was the seventh such incident in the past week.
Last week, Beijing renewed threats against the island nation, warning that foreign politicians who interact with the autonomous island are “playing with fire.”
A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the country recommitted in the new year to “safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “destroying plots for Taiwan independence” in the self-governing democracy that broke away from Mainland China in 1949.
A member of the People’s Liberation Army looks through binoculars during military exercises as Taiwan’s frigate Lan Yang is seen in the rear, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. China has repeatedly entered the waters and airspace of Taiwan in recent weeks, Taiwan’s defense officials have said.
(Lin Jian/Xinhua via AP)
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“The malicious support for Taiwanese independence among anti-China elements in some foreign countries is a deliberate provocation,” Ma Xiaoguang told a biweekly press conference.
Taiwan also held military exercises last week to reassure the public about its ability to counter threats from China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday this month.
“The most important thing is to maintain the safety of our airspace and national security,” Air Force Lt. Col. Wu Bong-yeng told reporters at the Hsinchu airbase, just south of the capital Taipei.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
