TAIPEI, Aug 4 (Reuters) – China’s military made multiple brief incursions into the median line dividing the Taiwan Strait starting on Wednesday evening and continuing into Thursday morning, a Taiwanese source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
During that time, about 10 Chinese navy ships briefly crossed the median before being “chased off” by Taiwanese navy boats, said the person, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.
As of midday Thursday, warships from both sides remained in the area and in the immediate vicinity.
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“They sneaked in and were chased away by us,” the Taiwanese source told Reuters.
Meanwhile, scores of Chinese air force planes briefly crossed the median several times Thursday morning, forcing Taiwan to raise planes and deploy missile systems to track their movements, the person said.
“They flew in and then flew out, over and over again. They continue to harass us and increase our air defense pressure.”
China has been conducting targeted military exercises in areas around Taiwan that it says began after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei earlier this week. Read more
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Reporting by Imow Lee, writing by Imow Lee and Martin Quinn Pollard; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Simon Cameron-Moore
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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