Taiwan spots 45 Chinese military aircraft, 9 ships near island
Published on: Sunday, August 20, 2023
By: Bernama
BEIJING: The Taiwanese Defence Ministry said on Sunday that 45 aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and nine ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were seen approaching the island over the past day, reported Sputnik.
"45 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today," the ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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In particular, 27 aircraft of the Chinese armed forces, including nine SU-30 fighters, 12 J-10 fighters, four J-11 fighters, one Y-9 transport aircraft and one Z-9 helicopter, crossed the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island's air defence identification zone, the ministry added.
Taiwan sent air and sea patrols to monitor the situation and also deployed ground-based missile systems, the ministry noted.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.
The latest escalation around Taiwan took place in April after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Beijing responded by launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a "warning" to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers.
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