Several Chinese planes and warships approached Taiwan early Saturday morning, prompting Taiwan’s Defense Ministry to send fighter jets and prepare its anti-missile defense system, authorities said.
Taiwan’s government’s Ministry of National Defense, officially identified as the ROC, said its forces detected more than a dozen Chinese military-operated vehicles near its island at about 6 a.m. Saturday.
“11 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels were detected around Taiwan as of 6 am today,” his government said, prompting officials to send in their own warships and prepared ground-based missile systems “to respond to these activities.” .
Chinese military helicopters fly over Pingtan Island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, in Fujian province on August 4, 2022.
(HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is China’s official designation for military forces, including the naval forces (PLAN) controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
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The sighting comes as Taiwan previously reported that it detected PLA forces approaching its territory on Thursday, December 22, and again on Wednesday, December 21.
“[Nine] PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels were detected around Taiwan at 6 am (UTC+8) today. The ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and have assigned CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” its government said.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense added: “2 of the detected aircraft (BZK-005 UAV RECCE and Y-8 ASW) had entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.”
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Wednesday’s sighting was the largest, with Taiwan reporting seeing 39 Chinese aircraft and three warships around the island. The instance also prompted an immediate response from the Taiwan military.
Of the detected aircraft, 30 crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the Air Defense Identification Zone of southwest and southeast Taiwan.
The Taipei Defense Ministry also provided flight paths for the Chinese military vessels, including identification of the aircraft.
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Taiwan did not disclose how many planes it sent to respond to these encounters. He also vowed to fend off a potential military invasion by mainland China.
Mainland China often turns its military toward Taiwan, which it recognizes as part of its own sovereign territory, but has become markedly more aggressive in recent months following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. at the beginning of August.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at the President’s office on August 3, 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan.
(Chien Chih-Hung/Office of the President via Getty Images)
Taiwan has its own democratic governing body and enters into international trade agreements with several countries that would otherwise choose not to trade with communist-controlled mainland China.
While the threat of China potentially launching a military invasion of Taiwan looms, the Biden administration has maintained “strategic ambiguity” on the island.
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As recently as September, President Biden said publicly that the United States would interfere in such an invasion and order US troops to defend Taiwan. This is not the official US position and the White House corrected his comments.
Biden also met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and said in November that he “did not believe there was any imminent attempt by China to invade Taiwan.”
The Taiwanese navy fires a US-made standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang drill, at sea near the Suao naval port in Yilan county on July 26, 2022.
(SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images)
The US president also dismissed speculation that a new Cold War was unfolding with China.
“I absolutely believe there doesn’t need to be a new Cold War,” Biden said. “I have met Xi Jinping many times and we were honest and clear with each other across the board. And I don’t think there is any imminent attempt by China to invade Taiwan.”
The United States does not have a defense treaty with Taiwan, but provides weapons to the island through grants and loans.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that the United States sent Taiwan $425 million in an arms package earlier this month.
“This was a package of updates on top of the pre-existing sale,” he said on Dec. 9. “We continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense, in line with our long-standing one-China policy. So there are no changes.”
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The United States and most of the international community officially recognize the one-China policy, which denies statehood to Taiwan and says Beijing has sole authority to govern the island.
China’s current stance towards Taiwan comes amid Russia’s invasion of the eastern regions of Ukraine, which the Russian government has annexed and also claims to be Russian territory.
Anders Hagstrom and Paul Best of Fox News contributed to this report.
