Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it detected a record 103 Chinese military aircraft circling the island. We read it in a note.
The 103 Chinese fighter jets spotted around Taiwan in the 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. local time (midnight in Italy) are the highest number ever announced in over two years of daily updates, although the island’s Defense Ministry said only ” current highs” admitted that the initiative poses “significant challenges” to security in cross-strait relations. Beijing’s repeated military actions “can easily lead to a sharp rise in tensions and worsen the state of regional security,” the ministry noted, calling on China to “immediately stop unilateral destructive actions.” In addition, the great show of strength of the People’s Liberation Army took place when the head of Chinese diplomacy and the Communist Party Wang Yi in Malta took part in the second day of talks with the US national security adviser Jake Sullivan aimed at stabilizing bilateral relations and preparation for a possible summit between the respective presidents. The Taipei issue was then portrayed by Wang as “the first insurmountable red line in Sino-American relations”: The US must abide by the three joint communiques and implement the commitment not to support Taiwan’s independence, a note said Beijing diplomacy. Of the 103 aircraft, 40 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the air defense identification zone southeast of the island, simulating some kind of air blockade. The Defense Ministry, which also took delivery of nine Chinese warships, responded by mobilizing the air force and navy to monitor the evolving situation in addition to land-based missile defense systems. Over the weekend, state media in Beijing officially announced the series of naval military exercises (September 11-15) involving the aircraft carrier Shandong and dozens of other warships. According to a Japanese Defense Ministry tally, about 40 fighter jets and 20 helicopter sorties were stationed in Shandong during the mission.
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