China sends more than 30 warplanes toward Taiwan in new military drills
Misty Severi
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China has sent 39 warplanes and three warships toward Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait in a 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday, the latest show of force against the smaller island.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it detected the new warships and planes at 6 a.m. local time on Thursday and will be monitoring the drills closely. Thirty of the planes have crossed the median line of the strait and entered Taiwanese territory, but no shots have been fired, the ministry tweeted.
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The planes flew to the southwest portion of the island and then horizontally to the southeastern side before doubling back, according to a diagram from Taiwan. Some 21 J-16 fighter jets, four H-6 bombers, and two early warning planes were among the aircraft.
https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1605730586165121025
Thursday’s activities mark the largest military drill from China since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in August. In response to her visit, China sent more than 100 aircraft into the strait, including fighters, warships, and missiles. It also fired missiles over Taiwan that ended up landing near Japan.
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The drill comes after the Pentagon issued a report earlier this month that warned China could invade Taiwan in the near future and that a full-scale amphibious invasion was possible. However, military leaders have been hesitant to predict when a military assault from China would actually take place.
The United States stands by its “One China” foreign policy agreement, which recognizes Beijing and the People’s Republic of China as the only government of China, and mainland China views Taiwan as its territory. However, the U.S. has supplied Taiwan with defense equipment and services as outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act. The latest National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress earlier this month, includes $2 billion a year in security aid for Taiwan through 2027.