The military detected a record 153 Chinese military aircraft around the nation, the Ministry of National Defense announced today, after China held a day of large-scale drills yesterday.
The aircraft were spotted in the 25-hour period until 6am today, the ministry said in a statement — the most for a single day.
Photo: EPA
Beijing deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard boats to encircle Taiwan yesterday, with Taiwan responding by dispatching "appropriate forces" and placing its outlying islands on heightened alert.
The ministry typically records the numbers of Chinese warplanes and warships operating around Taiwan in 24-hour periods from 6am to 6am the next day, but it moved the start of that period to 5am yesterday to match the start of the Joint Sword 2024-B drills that began at 5:02am.
Forty-seven Chinese fighter jets were detected near the median line of the Taiwan Strait from 5:02am to 8:57pm, 28 of which crossed the median line, the flight map released by the ministry showed.
Another 41 fighter jets entered the southwestern part of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) between 6:43am and 6:14pm, and 42 fighter jets flew into the eastern part of the ADIZ from 5:16am to 5:31pm, the map showed.
Also, 23 fighter jets and choppers were detected to the north, south and southeast of Taiwan just outside the ADIZ between 5:02am and 6:34pm, the map showed.
None of the aircraft entered Taiwan's contiguous zone, which extends 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation's shores, the map showed.
Taiwan condemned China's actions as "irrational and provocative," and the US called them "unwarranted."
Japan said today it had expressed its "concerns" to China over the drills, and scrambled fighter jets near its southern island of Yonaguni, which lies near northeast Taiwan.
"The government is closely monitoring the related activities with great interest, and has conveyed Japan's concerns to the Chinese side," Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters.
Yesterday was the fourth round of large-scale drills in just more than two years.
The ministry also recorded 14 Chinese navy ships in the latest 25-hour period, slightly fewer than the 17 announced yesterday afternoon.
The Pentagon yesterday strongly criticized the Chinese military drills around Taiwan, calling them destabilizing.
"This military pressure operation is irresponsible, disproportionate and destabilizing," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
China said the drills, dubbed Joint Sword 2024B, were held in areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan.
Beijing declared them over by about 6pm yesterday, about 13 hours after they started.
China said the exercises served as a "stern warning to the separatist acts of 'Taiwan Independence' forces."
Additional reporting by Reuters
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS