China accuses Taiwan of raising military tensions

China will "smash" Taiwanese military jets if they try to enter Chinese airspace, a Chinese official warned yesterday, accusing Taiwan of constantly trying to create military incidents.

In the most recent case, a group of Taiwan jets allegedly tried to cross the middle line in the Taiwan Strait, but were turned back by Chinese aircraft on patrol, the Beijing-backed Wen Wei Po (文匯報) newspaper said.

"Taiwan's attempts to create military incidents have gone on without interruption," the unidentified official told the Hong Kong paper.

"If Taiwanese military aircraft cross the middle line and enter our airspace, we will use military force to smash them or force them to land at Chinese bases," he said.

The stark warning came as China kept up its strident rhetoric against Taiwan at the start of a new four-year term for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

The paper cited an incident said to have taken place recently, when a group of Taiwanese aircraft, including US-built F-16s, were heading for the middle line in the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary between the two countries.

Although they were flying low to avoid detection, they were spotted by Chinese radars, and Chinese jets on patrol in the area were dispatched to block their entry, the paper said.

"We will resolutely hit at Taiwanese attempts to create incidents," the unnamed Chinese official said. "We will absolutely not tolerate it."