Nine Chinese aircraft yesterday crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line as they carried out combat readiness patrols, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The incursions came days after Beijing threatened retaliation if President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) meets US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Tsai arrived in the US on Wednesday, stopping over on her way to Central America.
Photo: AP
She is expected to meet McCarthy in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei, and China on Wednesday threatened unspecified retaliation if that meeting were to go ahead.
The ministry said the nine Chinese aircraft crossed the median line, which used to serve as an unofficial buffer between the two sides, in the north, center and south.
The military monitored the situation using ships and aircraft, adhering to the principle of “not escalating conflicts or causing disputes,” the ministry said.
“The communist military’s deployment of forces deliberately created tension in the Taiwan Strait, not only undermining peace and stability, but [it] also has a negative impact on regional security and economic development,” it said in a statement.
The ministry condemned what it called “such irrational actions.”
There was no immediate response from China.
Tsai, on her first US stopover since 2019, told an event held by the Hudson Institute think tank in New York on Thursday that the blame for rising tensions lay with China, excerpts of her comments reported by her office showed.
“China deliberately raises tensions, but Taiwan always responds cautiously and calmly, so that the world can see that Taiwan is the responsible party in cross-strait relations,” she said.
A senior Tsai administration official familiar with security planning said the Chinese aircraft only “slightly” encroached across the median line, and that no unusual movements by Chinese ships had been registered.
China staged war games around Taiwan proper in August last year following a visit to Taipei by then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has continued its military activities near Taiwan since, although on a reduced scale.
The official said that China was unlikely to repeat such large exercises, as it is engaging in a “charm offensive” toward foreign political and business leaders, and an escalation of military tension would send “conflicting messages” to the world.
“Having said that, we have made all preparations in case China reacts irrationally,” the source said. “The more the international community pays attention to Taiwan, the more upset they get.”
Speaking to reporters in Taipei earlier yesterday, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said Taiwan is a democratic country that has the right to go out into the world.
“I hope that China will not find pretext to provoke,” he said, when asked about Beijing’s retaliation threat. “China’s authoritarian expansion will in fact cause unnecessary trouble, so we here again make this call, hoping that China can reduce its provocative actions.”
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face