Dozens of Chinese military aircraft and four ships were detected around Taiwan on Sunday amid rising tensions, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said.
At least 28 of the Chinese planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer zone separating the island from China.
The People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said in a statement that they conducted “joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat exercises” to “resolutely counter the provocative actions of external forces and Taiwan independence separatist forces.” “.
FILE PHOTO: In this photo released by the Xinhua News Agency, fighter jets from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command conduct joint combat training exercises around the island of Taiwan.
(Gong Yulong/Xinhua via AP)
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said planes, ships and ground-based missile systems were activated to respond to the incursion. It is the second time this week that China’s military has flown planes near Taiwan.
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Tensions came to a head in August after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, and China increased the frequency of combat drills on the island in recent months.
FILE PHOTO: Soldiers take position during Taiwan’s main annual “Han Kuang” exercise in New Taipei City, Taiwan, July 27, 2022.
(Reuters/Ann Wang)
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said this week that he believes war can be avoided.
“There is a risk of conflict with respect to Taiwan, but I think with responsible management, we can make sure that this contingency never happens. And that is our responsibility,” Sullivan told NPR.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Biden at the November G20 summit in Bali that the Taiwan issue was “the very core of China’s core interests” and the “first red line” in bilateral relations.
President Biden said after that meeting that he “does not believe there is any imminent attempt by China to invade Taiwan.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
