Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence has warned of a possible “sharp increase” in military tensions after reporting renewed Chinese military activity, including fighter jets crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait.
Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for three years of increased military pressure from Beijing, mostly in the form of China’s air force flying near the island.
According to the ministry, Beijing had sent 24 aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers and drones, as well as five warships close to Taiwan in what it described as a “joint combat patrol” since 9am (01:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Half the warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the self-ruled island’s southwest air defence identification zone, it said, and Taipei was using its own aircraft, vessels and land-based missile systems to monitor them.
The median line for years had served as an unofficial barrier between China and Taiwan until China’s air force began regularly crossing it a year ago.
Credit: aljazeera.com
