Taiwan appealed to China on Monday (18) to immediately stop “destructive unilateral actions” after Taipei detected the presence of more than 100 aircraft and nine warships from Beijing around the autonomous island, a record in recent months.
“Between the morning hours of September 17 and 18, the Ministry of Defense detected a total of 103 Chinese aircraft, a new record that poses a serious challenge to the security of the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Continued military harassment could easily lead to a sudden rise in tensions and worsen regional security,” the ministry added, demanding in the statement that Beijing must “immediately stop such destructive unilateral actions.”
China views the selfgoverning island as a province of the country awaiting reunification with the rest of its territory. In recent years, Beijing has increased diplomatic and military pressure against Taiwan.
China and Taiwan are experiencing one of the most tense moments and military activity in the region is increasing Dado Ruvic/Portal 08/26/2022
Of all the aircraft detected between Sunday and Monday, 40 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China and entered the southeastern and southwestern parts of its air defense identification zone, the ministry statement said.
Taiwanese authorities also identified the presence of nine Chinese navy ships.
On Sunday (17), Taipei announced the discovery of 28 Chinese fighter jets near the island, including 20 that crossed the median line of the strait.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not comment specifically on the situation, but ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China.
“What I want to say is that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory and the socalled middle line does not exist,” he explained.
Increase in incursions
Last week, Taipei reported an increase in attacks by Chinese military aircraft.
The increase came after Beijing said its troops were on “high alert” as two U.S. and Canadian ships transited the Taiwan Strait earlier this month.
According to the Ministry of Defense, 68 aircraft and ten ships were discovered around the island between Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the ministry, some aircraft and warships were on their way to an unspecified area in the Western Pacific for “joint sea and air training” with the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong.
Shandong is one of two operational aircraft carriers in the Chinese fleet. Last week, the ship was nearly 60 nautical miles (110 km) southeast of Taiwan en route to the western Pacific, Taipei authorities said.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said last week it had detected six Chinese ships within 650 kilometers of the island of Miyakojima, east of Taiwan.
The presence of helicopters and aircraft taking off and landing on the aircraft carrier was also recorded.
China has not made any official comment on the military exercises in the Western Pacific.
Some analyzes suggest that China may be showing strength to counter the influence of the United States in the AsiaPacific region, where several military exercises have recently been organized.
In recent months, the U.S. military has conducted exercises with South Korea in the Yellow Sea, others with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea, and with 19 nations in Indonesia.
“Politically, China wants to counter the military capabilities of its democratic allies led by the United States,” Su Tzuyun, an analyst at Taiwan’s National Institute of National Defense and Security Research, told AFP.
In April, in response to a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ingwen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, Beijing organized three days of military exercises simulating a siege on the island.
At that time, the island detected 71 Chinese aircraft in 24 hours, equaling the previous record set in just one day in December 2022.
Fighter aircraft and test flight: Kim Jongun visits aircraft factory in Russia
North Korean dictator Kim Jongun visited a military aircraft factory in Russia this Friday (15) after meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (13). On a trip he wants to consolidate rapprochement between the two countries excluded from the international community
The two countries are historical allies and face a number of sanctions: Russia over the conflict in Ukraine and North Korea over its weapons program, which includes nuclear tests.
The North Korean dictator’s visit to Russia is his first foreign trip since the pandemic and has raised concerns in Ukraine, the United States and other Western powers about the possibility of an arms sales deal between Moscow and Pyongyang.
North Korea is asking Russia for help in developing its missile program, and U.S. officials and analysts say Moscow wants to buy North Korean munitions for use in Ukraine
Two days after meeting with the Russian president at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Kim arrived in his armored train in KomsomolskonAmur, where he was received by the governor of the Khabarovsk region, Mikhail Degtyarev.
The North Korean followed the production of the Sukhoi Su35 and Su57 fighter jets and observed a test flight
“We see potential for cooperation both in the field of aircraft construction and in other industries,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Trade and Industry Denis Manturov, who accompanied Kim on the visit. “This is especially important to fulfill the tasks of our countries in achieving technological sovereignty,” he added