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By Yimou Lee
PENGHU, Taiwan (Reuters) – Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday praised the “heroic performance” of air force pilots who have been intercepting Chinese planes approaching the island as Beijing steps up pressure. military over democratic Taiwan.
Tension between China and the island that Beijing claims to be Chinese sovereign territory has soared to its highest level in years, with Taiwanese fighter jets scrambling to intercept Chinese jets last week.
Visiting a major air force base in Penghu on the sensitive Taiwan Strait that divides the two sides, Tsai told pilots and engineers that he was aware of his “heroic performance” in intercepting and pushing off Chinese planes.
“I have a lot of confidence in you. As ROC soldiers, how can we let the enemies strut in our own airspace?” he said, using the formal name of Taiwan.
“I am aware that in the face of the provocative behavior of the communist planes that have encircled the island and damaged regional peace in recent days, their duty on the first line of airspace in Penghu must be even heavier.”
The base, now home to the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo indigenous defense fighters (IDF) who first entered service in 1997, is on the front lines of Taiwan’s response to Chinese military intrusions.
Wang Chia-chu, one of the senior officers of the IDF “Heavenly Colt” squadron, told Reuters that there is only five minutes to fight the fighters once Chinese aircraft are detected.
“We will defend our airspace in real time as long as there is a threat,” Wang said.
Another senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the Penghu-based IDF now fights “almost every day” as tension mounts.
The air force also showcased its new Wan Chien air-to-ground cruise missiles that entered service in 2018 and can be fired from the IDF at targets some 200 km (125 miles) away, putting Chinese facilities or ships that are zoom in on your sights.
Unusually, last week, Chinese jets crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial barrier for fighter jets from both sides, although they have not flown over mainland Taiwan.
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the line did not exist, prompting the condemnation of Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
In Taipei on Tuesday, Wu called the line an important “symbol” for avoiding military clashes and urged other countries to condemn China.
“We demand that the international community strongly condemn China’s words and actions and we demand that the Chinese government stop everything it has been doing,” he added.
China has been angered by increased US support for democratic Taiwan, including a visit to Taipei last week by US Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach.
Taiwanese fighters have rushed many times this year to intercept Chinese aircraft.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee; Writing and additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
