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At least 19 fighter jets and bombers crossed the central line of the Taiwan Strait and flew into Taiwanese airspace, according to the Taiwan Ministry of Defense.
The episode took place at the same time that representatives of the US and Taiwanese authorities attended a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui, who died in July.
The US envoy is Keith Krach, who is the highest-ranking US State Department official to have visited Taiwan in decades. Hours earlier, he met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Chinese military exercise in the Taiwan Strait
In response to the visit, China held military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and nearby areas, in what is the second round of such exercises this month.
The exercise used, among other things, two bombers and 16 fighter jets, according to the Taiwan Defense Ministry.
(The article continues below the video)
Video: Xi: – Reunification with Taiwan is “inevitable”
At a press conference on Friday, a spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, Ren Guoqiang, stated that Beijing was conducting actual combat exercises.
– This is a legitimate and necessary action to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait., in Ren.
China and Taiwan have been separated since 1949
US Health Secretary Alex Azar was the first US Secretary of State to set foot on the island since the United States recognized Taiwan as part of “One China” in 1979.
China and Taiwan have been separated since 1949 when the Communists won the Chinese Civil War and took power on the mainland. The defeated nationalists sought refuge on the island of Taiwan.
In practice, Taiwan has full autonomy, but China threatens an invasion if the Taipei leadership formally declares its independence.
The case is being updated
Video: Taiwan practiced to prevent invasion
