On Monday, Taiwan voiced its disapproval of China for staging its second round of military drills on the island in less than a month. The defense ministry announced that it had detected 57 Chinese aircraft.
China has increased its military, political, and economic pressure to substantiate its claim to Taiwan, which is democratically governed.
According to the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command, its forces conducted “joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat drills” in the airspace and sea surrounding Taiwan, focusing on land strikes and sea assaults.
It added in a brief statement late on Sunday that the objective was to “resolutely counter the provocative actions of external forces and Taiwan independence separatist forces” and test joint combat capabilities.
The presidential office of Taiwan stated that China was making “groundless accusations” and strongly condemned the drills, stating that Taiwan and China shared responsibility for the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait and the region.
The office said in a statement that Taiwan’s position is very clear in that it will firmly defend its sovereignty and security while neither escalating conflicts nor provoking them.
“The nation’s military responds calmly and has a thorough understanding of the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding area. It added, “Our people can rest assured.”
With the benchmark index closing Monday up 2.6%, Taiwan’s stock market ignored the latest tension.
Over the previous 24 hours, the defense ministry said, it had detected 57 Chinese aircraft and four naval vessels operating around the island, including 28 aircraft that flew into the air defense zone of Taiwan.
A ministry map showed that two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers flew to the south of Taiwan and that some of those 28 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which is an unofficial buffer between the two sides. These aircraft included Su-30 and J-16 fighters.
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Taiwan reported that 43 Chinese aircraft crossed the median line during similar exercises held by China late last month.
Over the past three years, China has made frequent military incursions into Taiwan’s airspace and waters. China has never shied away from using force to take control of the island.
Following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August, when she was the speaker of the US House of Representatives, it held war games all over Taiwan.
Despite Beijing’s warnings, lawmakers from the United States and other Western allies have continued to visit Taiwan.
A senior member of one of Germany’s coalition parties, Johannes Vogel, stated that Beijing’s military aggression was unacceptable.
“We also want to let you see our visit here as a gesture of support,” he said to You Si-kun, the speaker of the Taiwan parliament, on Monday while a German parliamentary delegation was there.
Beijing’s claims to sovereignty are categorically rejected by Taiwan, which asserts that the island’s 23 million residents alone are in control of their destiny.
The United States’ support for Taiwan, including the sale of weapons, has particularly enraged Beijing.
Although it is the island’s most significant arms supplier and international backer, the United States of America does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, as do the majority of nations.
Source: Reuters