More than 50 Chinese aircraft and warships transited the surroundings of Taiwan in the last 24 hoursmovements that occurred after the establishment, by Beijing, of seven air zones reserved for the possible carrying out of military maneuvers, official sources reported this Tuesday.
In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MDN) indicated that, between 06:00 a.m. on Monday (22:00 GMT on Sunday) and 06:00 a.m. on Tuesday (22:00 GMT on Monday), It had detected 47 Chinese aircraft and 12 warships in the vicinity of its territory, in addition to 9 other Chinese “official ships.”
Of the total number of aircraft, 16 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border which has been increasingly violated by China in recent years, and entered the southwest region of the self-proclaimed Taiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), although without penetrating Taipei airspace.
The Taiwanese Armed Forces raised their alert level this Monday regarding the possible launch of a new wave of military exercises by Chinawhich would be the third this year, although Beijing, for the moment, has not officially confirmed the carrying out of any military operation.
On Sunday, Chinese authorities established seven reserved air zones in the provinces of Zhejiang (east) and Fujian (southeast), located off the coast of Taiwan, a measure that will last until 8:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) on Wednesday. In response, the MDN indicated that it had instructed “all units to maintain a strict control of enemy activities and a high level of alert” and that it had also begun “combat preparation exercises” in the face of possible maneuvers by the Chinese Army in these areas.
These possible military exercises occur a few days after the Taiwanese president, William Lai, concluded a tour of the South Pacific with stops in his three allied countries in the area – Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – and stops in the US territories of Hawaii and Guam, which angered China.
During the last week, the Chinese Government repeatedly expressed its “firm rejection” of Lai’s transit through the United States, insisting that it would “unwaveringly” defend its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” against attempts at “interference by external forces.” in the “internal affairs” of Beijing.
China considers the president of Taiwan, a territory governed autonomously since 1949, to be an “independence supporter” and a “troublemaker.” whose sovereignty Beijing claims. Since Lai took office on May 20, the MDN has detected more than 3,300 Chinese Army aircraft near the island, of which 2,343 crossed the Strait dividing line or violated the self-proclaimed Taiwanese ADIZ, a 37% increase. that in all of 2023.
