Four Chinese military planes and several ships were spotted near Taiwan early Monday morning in Beijing’s latest provocation against the island nation.
Taiwan’s Dense Ministry said four naval vessels belonging to the People’s Liberation Army and three from the People’s Liberation Army were spotted near Taiwan around 6 a.m. Monday morning.
Taiwan’s armed forces have been monitoring the situation and have tasked CAP aircraft, naval vessels and land-based missile systems to respond to those activities, the defense ministry said.
It added that two of the planes spotted – described as J-16 jets – had entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone.
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Monday’s provocation was just the latest episode in what is part of everyday life for the self-governing island, which Beijing considers its own territory.
On Wednesday, China renewed its threats to attack Taiwan, warning that foreign politicians interacting with the self-governing island are “playing with fire”.
A spokesman for China’s Bureau of Taiwan Affairs said the country made a renewed commitment in the new year to “uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity” and to crush “conspiracies for Taiwan independence” in the self-governing democracy that broke away from mainland China in 1949 separated
“Malicious support for Taiwan independence by anti-Chinese elements in a few foreign countries is a deliberate provocation,” Ma Xiaoguang said at a biweekly news conference.
A series of visits to Taiwan by foreign politicians in recent months, including then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and scores of European Union politicians, spurred demonstrations of military might by both sides.
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This week, the Taiwanese military held drills to reassure the public that it is capable of repelling China’s threats ahead of this month’s Lunar New Year holiday.
“The most important thing is to maintain the safety of our airspace and national security,” Air Force Lt. Col. Wu Bong-yeng told reporters at Hsinchu Air Force Base, south of the capital Taipei.
China has responded to foreign visits by holding large-scale military drills, seen by some as a rehearsal for a blockade or invasion. Beijing sends planes and warships to Taiwan almost daily, often crossing the center line of the 100-mile Taiwan Strait that separates the two sides.
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In late December, China sent a record 71 planes and seven ships to Taiwan – the largest exercise of its kind in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bradford Betz is a red-hot reporter at Fox News Digital, covering crime, politics and more.