China deployed 71 warplanes, including 60 warplanes, during military maneuvers around Taiwan over the weekend, the Taipei Defense Ministry said Monday.
Beijing said it held military exercises near Taiwan on Sunday, which it claims in response to “provocations” and “collusion” between the United States and authorities on the island.
In a message published on Twitter, Taiwan said 60 fighter jets took part in the exercises, including six SU-30s, which are among China’s most advanced aircraft.
In its daily update, the Ministry of Defense further notes that 47 of these planes entered the autonomous democratic island’s air defense zone, making it the third-largest incursion recorded daily, according to base AFP.
China considers Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, to be one of its provinces that it has not successfully reunified with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
She is dissatisfied with the rapprochement between the Taiwanese authorities and the USA, which has been supporting the island militarily against Beijing for decades.
Beijing did not specify the number of planes mobilized for Sunday’s exercises, nor the exact location of those maneuvers.
Data from the Taiwanese Defense Ministry indicates that most of the attacks took place at the southwestern tip of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Some have also crossed the “middle line” that runs along the Taiwan Strait.
Many nations maintain ADIZ, including the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan, and China.
These zones are not identical to a country’s airspace, but rather cover a much larger area to give a country more time to identify a potentially hostile aircraft and respond to an intrusion.
Taiwan’s ADIZ includes part of China and even part of the mainland.