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- Chinese bombers and fighter jets flew over Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
- It was an unusual show of force.
- The United States indicated its support for Taiwan.
Eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Saturday, and the Taiwanese air force deployed missiles to “monitor” the incursion, the island’s Defense Ministry said. .
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has made nearly daily flights over the waters between southern Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea in recent months.
However, they have generally consisted of just one or two reconnaissance aircraft.
READ | China overshadows two US ships across the Taiwan Strait
The presence of so many Chinese fighter jets on this mission (Taiwan said it consisted of eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and four J-16 fighter jets) was unusual.
A map provided by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense showed that the Chinese aircraft, including a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew over the same waters where the most recent Chinese missions have been carried out near the Pratas Islands, although still a long way from Mainland Taiwan. .
The Taiwanese air force warned the Chinese jets and deployed missiles to monitor them, the ministry said, using standard wording on how it responds to such activities.
“Airborne warning sorties were commissioned, radio warnings were issued and air defense missile systems were deployed to monitor activity,” it said in a brief statement.
US response
The US State Department urged China to stop putting pressure on Taiwan and reaffirmed its commitment to the island and its desire to deepen ties.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
“We will continue to help Taiwan maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities.”
There were no immediate comments from China. In the past, China has said that it has been conducting exercises to defend its sovereignty and security.
The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry expressed its appreciation for the U.S. show of support, adding that they will work closely with the Biden administration to strengthen their close partnership.
Lo Chih-Cheng, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party who sits on the parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committee, told Reuters that China was trying to dissuade the new US government from backing the island.
“He’s sending a message to the Biden administration,” he said.
Beijing has watched with growing concern the rise in US support for democratic Taiwan, especially during the administration of Donald Trump, who left office on Wednesday.
Last year, during visits by senior US officials to Taipei, Chinese planes briefly crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer.
The flight of the Chinese bombers and fighters on Saturday came just days after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency.
Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said the United States’ commitment to Taiwan was “rock solid” after the island’s de facto ambassador to Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, attended a Biden’s swearing-in on Wednesday.
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