Taiwan
Dozens of Chinese warplanes and bombers entered patrol areas during the recent military invasion, Taipei said
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Taiwan activated its defense systems on Thursday after reports that Beijing’s latest mass airstrike flew 37 Chinese military planes into the island’s air defense zone, some of which then flew to the western Pacific.
China, which regards democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has regularly flown its air force in the skies near the island for the past three years, though not in Taiwan’s territorial airspace.
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Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it had spotted 37 Chinese Air Force aircraft, including J-11 and J-16 fighters and H-6 nuclear-capable bombers, flying into the southwest corner of its air defense identification zone as of 5 a.m. or ADIZ. The ADIZ is a larger area that monitors and patrols Taiwan to give its forces more time to respond to threats.
Some of the Chinese planes flew to southeastern Taiwan and crossed the western Pacific to conduct “air surveillance and long-range navigation training,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said in its brief statement.
Taiwan sent its own planes and ships to stand guard and activated land-based missile systems, it added, using its standard phrase for its response to such Chinese activity.
The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China on Wednesday completed a second phase of joint air patrols with Russia over the western Pacific after flights were conducted over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea the previous day, raising national security concerns in Japan.
In April, China held war games around Taiwan following a trip by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to the United States.
Taiwan’s government has rejected China’s claims of sovereignty, saying only the islanders can decide their future.
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