China sends 37 Chinese military planes to Taiwan
Beijing is trying to keep the pressure on the self-governing island high with regular military actions. Experts describe the procedure as part of a larger “gray area tactic”.
Taiwan’s military is “closely monitoring the situation,” the Taiwan Ministry of Defense said. A Chinese Chengdu J-20 fighter jet.
Foto: Chinatopix, AP, Keystone
More than 30 Chinese warplanes entered the island’s air surveillance zone on Thursday, according to the Taiwan Defense Ministry. As of 5 a.m., “a total of 37 Chinese military aircraft” were sighted in the southwest of the Air Defense Identification Zone (Adiz), said defense spokesman Sun Li Fang. Some aircraft continued to fly towards the western Pacific for reconnaissance exercises.
China regards self-governing and democratic Taiwan as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary by military force. In recent years, Beijing has ramped up military air operations in Taiwan’s air surveillance zone; In 2022, the bets doubled compared to the previous year.
Experts speak of larger “gray area” tactics
Taiwan’s Adiz is significantly larger than its airspace and overlaps with that of China, even part of mainland China is part of the surveillance zone.
Taiwan’s military “is closely monitoring the situation,” the Defense Ministry said on Twitter. Patrol aircraft, naval ships and missile defense systems have been deployed.
Experts say the escalating operations in Taiwan’s Adiz are part of a larger “grey area” tactic by China to keep pressure on the island. At the same time, Beijing reacts sensitively to any diplomatic moves that make Taiwan appear as a sovereign state and to military exercises in the area of the island.
In April, Beijing staged a three-day military exercise simulating a blockade of the island after US House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
AFP/step
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