Taiwan reports large incursion by Chinese weather force
24 January, 2021
Eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets entered the south-western part of Taiwan's oxygen defence identification area on Saturday (Jan 23), and Taiwan's air drive deployed missiles to "keep an eye on" the incursion, the island's defence ministry said.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has conducted daily flights above the waters between your southern portion of Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands found in the South China Sea in recent months.
Nonetheless they have generally contains just a few reconnaissance aircraft.
The presence of so many Chinese combat aircraft on this mission - Taiwan said it was made up of eight nuclear-capable H-6K bombers and four J-16 fighter jets - is unusual.
A map supplied by Taiwan's Defence Ministry showed that the Chinese aircraft, which also included a good Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew above the same waters where in fact the latest Chinese missions have been taking place nearby the Pratas Islands, though even now well away from mainland Taiwan.
Taiwan's air drive warned away the Chinese aircraft and deployed missiles to screen them, the ministry added, using standard wording for how it responds to such actions.
"Airborne alert sorties have been tasked, radio warnings issued and surroundings defence missile devices deployed to monitor the experience," it said in a brief statement.
The US STATE DEPT. urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan, and reaffirmed its determination to the island and desire to deepen ties.
"We desire Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and financial pressure against Taiwan and instead take part in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected representatives," STATE DEPT. spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
"We will continue steadily to guide Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defence capability."
There is no immediate comment from China. During the past China has said it's been transporting out exercises to defend the country's sovereignty and secureness.
Beijing has watched with developing concern increasing US support for democratic Taiwan, especially during Donald Trump's administration, which still left office on Wednesday.
Last year during visits by senior US officials to Taipei, Chinese aircraft briefly crossed the median type of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer.
The flight by the Chinese bombers and fighters on Saturday came only days and nights after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency.
Emily Horne, spokeswoman for the White House National Protection Council, said the US commitment to Taiwan was first "rock-solid" following the island's de facto ambassador in Washington, Hsiao Bi-khim, attended Biden's swearing-in on Wednesday.
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