40 of the 100 aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island’s southwestern air defense zone.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense detected 103 Chinese fighter jets near the island in just one day. This number is a “new maximum”, the ministry said on Monday. The 103 Chinese aircraft registered between September 17 and 18 “represented major security challenges in the Taiwan Strait and the region,” it said in a statement.
Of the 103 aircraft, 40 crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island’s southeast and southwest air defense zones, it said. Nine Chinese navy ships were also sighted.
Beijing’s “continuous military harassment”
Beijing’s “persistent military harassment could easily lead to a sharp rise in tensions and worsen regional security,” the ministry said, calling on China to immediately stop the “destructive unilateral actions.”
Since the political split between mainland China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the autonomous democratic island as a breakaway territory it seeks to reunite with the mainland. In recent years, the presence of Chinese warships and army aircraft around Taiwan has increased significantly. (APA/AFP)