China reportedly sent 42 warplanes and eight naval vessels toward Taiwan on Saturday in a retaliatory move against the Taiwanese leader’s meeting with the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California.
Taiwan’s military detected the Chinese aircraft and ships at around 11 a.m. (local time), with 29 aircraft spotted crossing the “northern, central, southern median line of the Taiwan Strait,” the Defense Ministry said.
The ministry said the 29 aircraft “attempted coercion on us” by flying into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), an area where foreign aircraft are identified before entering a country’s territorial airspace.
“We condemn such an irrational act that has jeopardized regional security and stability,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, Taiwan detected 13 Chinese warplanes and three vessels near the island at 6 a.m. (local time), with four aircraft spotted crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ.
Taiwan responded by deploying aircraft, navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to monitor the Chinese military’s activities.
CCP Gives ‘Serious Warning’ With Fresh Drills
This came as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military announced Saturday that it was launching three days of combat readiness patrols and “Joint Sword” exercises around Taiwan, involving police patrols.
In a statement, Senior Colonel Shi Yi said the drills will be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and “to the northern and southern parts of Taiwan, and the airspace to the east of Taiwan as planned” from April 8 to 10.
“This is a serious warning against the Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke, and a necessary action to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Shi said.
The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command—the CCP’s armed wing—said the drills will focus on its “ability to seize sea control, air control, and information control under the support of the joint combat system.”
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