TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s military sent 103 fighter jets to Taiwan in 24 hours, a new daily record, according to the island’s defense ministry on Monday.
The planes were discovered between 6 a.m. on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday, the ministry said. As usual, they turned back before reaching Taiwan.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has been conducting increasingly large military exercises in the air and in the waters around Taiwan as tensions have risen between both countries and with the United States. The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and opposes any attempt to forcibly change Taiwan’s status.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 40 of the planes crossed the symbolic halfway point between mainland China and the island. Nine naval vessels were also reported in the last 24 hours.
The ministry described the Chinese military action as “harassment” and warned that it could escalate in the current tense atmosphere. “We call on the Beijing authorities to take responsibility and immediately stop such destructive military activities,” it said in a statement.
China sent a fleet of ships, including the aircraft carrier Shandong, to waters near Taiwan last week. The exercises came shortly after the United States and Canada sent warships through the Taiwan Strait, the waters that separate the island from the mainland.
China also unveiled a plan for an integrated development demonstration zone with Taiwan in China’s nearby Fujian province, seeking to lure Taiwan while warning it against China’s longstanding carrot-and-stick approach, experts say.
The latest moves could be an attempt to influence Taiwan’s presidential election in January. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which seeks formal independence for the island, is anathema to the Chinese government. China prefers opposition candidates who favor cooperation with the mainland.
Taiwan and China separated in 1949 when the Communists took control of China during a civil war. The defeated nationalists fled to Taiwan and established their own government on the island.
The island is self-governing, although few foreign nations grant it official diplomatic recognition. Among other things, the USA maintains formal relations with China and at the same time maintains a representative office in Taiwan.
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