China’s recent military exercises are designed to familiarize its air and naval forces with maritime routes across the Pacific Ocean and to project its presence over the western Pacific, a national security official said on Monday.
Chinese military aircraft were observed close to Taiwan’s airspace to the east of the nation on Monday for a third consecutive day, and the fourth time this month, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a statement.
Two Shaanxi Y-8 aircraft were returning to their base in China after a maritime training mission, the ministry said.
Photo: Aaron Tu, Taipei Times
One of the aircraft skirted Taiwan’s airspace in the south as it passed through the Bashi Channel before turning northeast on a flight path that took it close to Japan’s Miyako Islands. The other aircraft flew southeast after passing through the channel, the ministry said.
China has two potential lines of communication through the Pacific Ocean, with one crossing the Miyako Strait between Taiwan and Japan, and another that passes through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, a national security official said on condition of anonymity.
The US can monitor Chinese military activity on both lines, as its allies Japan and the Philippines are adjacent to the northern and the southern route, the official said.
China intends to traverse those paths without crossing into US-Japan and US-Philippine zones of defense, which obliges Chinese aircraft to fly over international waters which are close to Taiwan’s airspace, the official said.
National security authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation and have prepared a variety of response strategies for different scenarios, the official said.
Whenever appropriate, information about Chinese aircraft near Taiwan will be announced to the public, including their flight paths or aerial photography, the official said.
Since 2011, Beijing has conducted such aerial exercises, which then-president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration did not disclose to the public, a policy the Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) government reversed, the official said.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national security team changed the policy because it believes disclosure would fulfill Taiwan’s duty to inform neighboring countries and the public of the state of regional security, the official said.
The high number of Chinese aircraft drills on the edge of Taiwan’s airspace shows that Beijing is probing the response of the US, Japan and other countries, while putting pressure on the Taiwanese government, another senior official said.
On some flights, Chinese electronic warfare aircraft were dispatched to investigate Taiwan’s radar and anti-aircraft capabilities, and collect the electronic signatures of advanced military equipment, an official said.
“We should recognize the dangers and take action to address it,” the official said.
Defense ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) yesterday confirmed at a routine press event that either one or both of the Y-8 aircraft flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone at about the 27th parallel north.
Military preparedness is maintained at its highest levels regardless of Beijing’s actions, he said.
“Chinese military aircraft is expected to carry out a multitude of training exercises for various missions, on various flight paths and in various formations. I call on the media to refrain from using phrases such as ‘circling Taiwan’ that might induce panic,” he said.
New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said China’s actions have changed the cross-strait “status quo” and heightened regional tensions.
The defense ministry should be praised for its transparency, but it should raise international awareness of China’s aggressive behavior and its effects on regional peace, Hsu said.
The ministry is considering setting up a Web page with up-to-date information about China’s military flights and calling international news conferences and academic forums, he said.
Appeals to the international community with an aim to coordinate a response with Japan and the Philippines is important for monitoring China’s provocative actions, he said.
Additional reporting by Lo Tien-pin, Lu Yi-hsuan and CNA
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