Mon 26 December 2022:
Taiwan’s defense ministry reported on Monday that China has sent 71 airplanes and seven ships to the island in a 24-hour show of force.
The People’s Liberation Army claimed it had carried out a “strike drill” on Sunday in reaction to unnamed “provocations” and “collusion” between the United States and the self-governing island.
According to records, these exercises were some of the biggest since the Taiwanese defense ministry started publishing daily tallies.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said that 47 of the Chinese planes crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait. In addition, seven People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels were spotted around Taiwan.
71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/DagRhnN69F
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 26, 2022
Taiwan had tasked Combat air patrol aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities, the ministry said.
The largest ever incursion was reported one day after China held strike drills around Taiwan island in response to US President Joe Biden’s signing of a new law that includes $2 billion in military loans for Taiwan.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Monday during a military promotion ceremony that the expansion of authoritarianism undermined regional stability.
It was the largest incursion by Chinese warplanes since August, when a then-record 66 aircraft and 14 ships were detected around Taiwan within a 24-hour period.
Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the self-ruled democracy part of its territory.
Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, has made clear what he calls the “reunification” of Taiwan cannot be passed on to future generations.
The United States has stepped up support for Taiwan including a bill this month that authorised $10 billion in military aid, to which Beijing expressed “strong opposition”.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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