A soldier was seen at Makung Air Force Base on Taiwan’s offshore island of Pengu on September 22, 2020. REUTERS / Yimou Lee
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TAIPAI, May 6 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s air force took to the ground Friday to warn 18 Chinese planes that have entered its air defense zone, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said, part of what is a regular model of invasions. which angered the government in Taipei.
Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has complained of repeated similar Chinese aircraft missions, which have become common in the past two years.
Taiwan is currently on high alert for fears that China could use Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to launch a similar military move on the island, although the Taipei government has not reported any signs that Beijing is on the verge of attack.
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The number of planes involved is much lower than the last large-scale invasion, 39 Chinese planes on January 23, and since then there have been far fewer such flights.
The ministry said the latest mission included six Chinese J-11 fighters and six J-16s, as well as two H-6 bombers.
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Ministry of Defense. China has described previous similar missions as defending the country’s sovereignty and countering “collusion” with foreign powers – a veiled reference to US support for Taiwan.
The bombers, accompanied by a Y-8 anti-submarine plane, flew south from Taiwan through the Bashi Canal, which separates the island from the Philippines.
The other plane flew over an area northeast of Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the upper South China Sea, according to a ministry map.
Taiwanese fighter jets were sent to warn Chinese planes, and air defense missiles were deployed to “monitor activities,” the ministry said, using standard wording on how Taiwan described its response.
There were no shots, and Chinese planes did not fly into Taiwan’s airspace, but into its air defense identification zone, a wider area that Taiwan monitors and patrols, which acts to give it more time to respond to any threats.
Japan reported this week that eight Chinese naval ships, including an aircraft carrier, have passed between islands in the southern Japanese chain Okinawa, northeast of Taiwan.
This week, Taiwan is also conducting pre-announced missile and other exercises off its southern and southeastern coasts.
China has never given up on using force to bring Taiwan under its control, and the Taiwan Strait remains a potentially dangerous military point.
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Report by Ben Blanchard; Edited by Frank Jack Daniel and Tomasz Janowski
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