Taiwan reports surrounded by 153 Chinese military aircraft during drills

Taiwan detected 153 aircraft surrounding its territory as China carried out massive military exercises, according to the self-ruled island’s defence ministry.

The “surge in warplane activity” saw a record number of aircraft spotted in the 25 hours to 6am on Tuesday (22: 00 GMT, Monday), the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. China’s war games have once more raised tensions with the island and across the region, it noted.

Beijing deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coastguard ships to encircle Taiwan on Monday. Taipei responded by sending “appropriate forces” to its outlying islands in high alert mode.

Within Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, according to the defense ministry, 90 of the Chinese aircraft were spotted.

‘Nonsense’

Taiwan is considered to be part of its territory, and Beijing has stated that it will never resort to force to subdue it.

China said the one-day drill, designated “Joint Sword-2024B”, was a warning against “separatist acts”. The war games came after Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te’s speech from last week that Beijing had denounced.

Lai reaffirmed his commitment to “resist annexation or encroachment” and stated that China had no authority to represent Taiwan in the speech.

“This is a resolute punishment for Lai Ching-te’s continuous fabrication of ‘ Taiwan independence ‘ nonsense”, China’s Taiwan affairs office said in a statement.

Attracting attention

Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai stated that the manoeuvres were not only a concern for Taipei, but for the entire region.

He told reporters, “Any drills without prior notice will greatly deteriorate peace and stability in the entire region.” “China’s drills not only affect Taiwan’s neighbourhood, but also seriously affect the entire international navigational rights and air and sea space, so attracted the attention of other countries”.

China’s president’s office urged Taiwan to “stop threatening Taiwan’s democracy and freedom from military provocations that undermine regional harmony and stability.”

The United States, an ally to the self-ruled island, noted its concern, even as it launched its own war games in the disputed South China Sea.

The Pentagon slammed China’s drills as “irresponsible, disproportionate, and destabilising”.

However, thousands of US and Philippine marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the Philippines, which is also locked in dispute with China, on Tuesday.