The air force yesterday scrambled to warn away 18 Chinese aircraft that entered the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defense said, part of what is a regular pattern of incursions that has angered Taipei.
Taiwan has complained of repeated such missions by Chinese aircraft, which have become a common occurrence over the past two years or so.
Taiwan is in a heightened state of alert due to fears China could use Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to make a similar military move on the nation, although the government has not reported any signs Beijing is about to attack.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The number of aircraft involved was well off the last large-scale incursion, 39 Chinese aircraft on Jan. 23, and since then, such flybys have been with far fewer aircraft.
The ministry said the latest mission included six Chinese J-11 and six J-16 fighters, as well as two H-6 bombers.
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. China has described previous such missions as to defend the nation’s sovereignty and to counter “collusion” with foreign forces — a veiled reference to US support for Taiwan.
The bombers, accompanied by a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, flew to the south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel that separates the nation from the Philippines.
The other aircraft flew over an area to the northeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) at the top end of the South China Sea, according to a map provided by the Taiwanese ministry.
Taiwanese fighters were sent up to warn the Chinese aircraft and air defense missiles were deployed to “monitor the activities,” it said, using standard wording for how Taiwan describes its response.
No shots have been fired and the Chinese aircraft have not been flying in Taiwan’s air space, but in its ADIZ.
Japan this week reported eight Chinese naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, passed between islands in Japan’s southern Okinawa chain, to the northeast of Taiwan.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS