Nearly two dozen Chinese military aircraft and ships were detected around Taiwan on Monday morning after the US Navy and Marine Corps held joint exercises in the South China Sea over the weekend.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 18 People’s Liberation Army planes were detected, 11 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer zone between the island and China. Four vessels were also detected around Taiwan.
China’s incursions have become an almost daily occurrence in recent months, but the latest sign of aggression comes just days after the US Navy and Marine Corps held joint exercises in the South China Sea. .
FILE PHOTO: A Chinese military plane flies over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, in Fujian province. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)
The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted “integrated expeditionary strike force” operations Saturday.
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“The mobility and sustainability provided by amphibious platforms give Navy and Marine Corps equipment an asymmetric advantage in a maritime environment,” the 7th Fleet explained.
“This seamless naval integration established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability.”
China’s claim to a large portion of the South China Sea has put the country at odds with its neighbors in the region.
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In December, the State Department urged China to “respect the international law of the sea in the South China Sea,” saying its actions “reflect continued contempt for other South China Sea claimants and states operating legally in the region”.
The latest US exercises also come amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington, DC.
The Chinese spy balloon drifts into the ocean after being shot down off the coast of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, the United States, on February 4, 2023. (REUTERS/Randall Hill)
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The United States shot down a 200-foot-tall Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina on February 4.
“Make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did it,” President Biden said in his State of the Union address last week.
