Chinese warplanes made 159 incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone last month, Agence France-Presse data showed, the second-highest monthly number on record.
Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016.
Over the past 14 months, the sabre-rattling has reached new peaks after Beijing began sending an increasing number of warplanes into the zone, which Chinese military aircraft had previously largely avoided.
Photo: Ministry of National Defense / EPA-EFE
The escalatory moves have heightened fears among Western allies that China could order an invasion of Taiwan, even if they consider it unlikely for now.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon unveiled plans to reinforce deployments and bases directed at China, upgrading and expanding military facilities in Guam and Australia.
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense began making the Chinese warplane incursions public in September last year and AFP has built a database collecting details of the flights, which have been increasing in size and frequency.
November was the third month in a row in which more than 100 warplanes have made forays.
The incursions last month included 100 by fighter jets and nine by China’s nuclear-capable H6 bombers.
Beijing has stuck to probing the southwestern part of zone.
Near-daily smaller flights means Taiwan’s fleet of fighters is regularly scrambled, while Beijing also sometimes sends larger numbers to show displeasure over specific events.
October remains the busiest month on record with 196 incursions, 149 of which were made over just four days as Beijing marked China’s National Day.
Last month saw fewer large-scale incursions, but a near-daily trickle of planes.
“The recent situation is particularly grim with almost non-stop” incursions, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said on Monday, after a sortie by 27 Chinese aircraft the day before, the biggest of the month, but only the fifth-largest daily incursion on record.
China’s “intention is to slowly exhaust [us], to let you know that we have this power,” Chiu said.
Chiu has previously warned that military tensions between Taiwan and China are at their highest in four decades, adding that Beijing would be in a position to launch a full-scale invasion by 2025.
Since the ministry first began making the forays public, more than 1,000 flights have been made.
A defense report released by the ministry last month said that China’s “frequent manipulation of gray-zone threats” such as the warplane incursions, are aimed at “seizing Taiwan without a fight.”
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be