China deploys fighter jets and naval vessels around Taiwan almost daily (representative)
Taipei, Taiwan:
Taiwan said on Wednesday it had spotted 30 Chinese military aircraft around the island in 24 hours, one of the highest numbers in a single day this year.
China considers self-ruled Taiwan its territory and has never given up the use of force to control the island.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 20 of the aircraft entered Taiwan’s so-called Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Taiwan’s armed forces “monitor the situation and use (patrol) aircraft, naval vessels and coastal missile systems to respond to detected activity,” the statement said.
Last month, Taiwan spotted 36 Chinese warplanes flying over the island in 24 hours, the highest number in a single day this year.
The increase in invasions follows a pattern of what experts call “grey zone” operations, operations that are not outright acts of war.
These problems have intensified since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who considers Taiwan “already independent” – a position Beijing considers unacceptable.
China has deployed warplanes and naval ships around Taiwan almost daily, and there has been an increase in hot-air balloon flights over the island.
Taiwan’s current Vice President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing dislikes, won the January 13 presidential election.
Jimmy Lai and Vice President-elect Hsiao Meiqin of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party will take office on May 20.
Taiwan was among the issues discussed during a phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday.
The White House said Biden put pressure on Xi Jinping to ensure “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait before Lai Chi took office.
Xi Jinping told Biden that Taiwan remains an “insurmountable red line” for Beijing, according to Chinese state media.
The United States switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but remains an important partner of Taiwan.
In 1979, the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring the United States to provide weapons to Taiwan for self-defense and ensuring that Taiwan’s representatives in the United States were nominally treated as foreign diplomats.
China does not maintain relations with countries that recognize Taiwan and has stepped up efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically in recent years.
In January, the small South Pacific nation of Nauru will recognize Beijing instead of Taipei.
As a result, only 12 countries, including the Vatican, fully recognize Taiwan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
