22 Chinese aircraft detected around Taiwan, 12 enter its airspace, says Taipei

In the latest military provocation, 22 Chinese aircraft were detected around the island of Taiwan, said the country’s defence ministry on Saturday.

Of these aircraft, 12 entered the Taiwanese airspace, said Taipei.

The Saturday’s Chinese incursion comes as the United States and the Philippines are conducting joint military exercises near the western parts of the Philippians. These areas are near the South China Sea and Taiwan where China has become increasingly aggressive in recent years.

Beijing considers the self-governing island of Taiwan to be a breakaway province and remains committed to its reunification with the mainland. It has not ruled out the use of force for the purpose. Since Xi Jinping took over as the leader of China, the aggression towards Taiwan has increased in the form of military exercise simulating an invasion and aerial incursion like the one on Saturday.

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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said the aircraft included Su-30 fighter planes, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEWAC) aircraft, and drones.

in conducting joint combat patrol along with PLAN vessels.#ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond.

— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) April 27, 2024

The Saturday’s incursion comes just weeks before the inauguration of Lai Ching-te, the winner of the Taiwanese presidential election held in January. Beijing despises him and has declared him as a dangerous separatist. It is expected that Beijing will ramp up its provocations as the swearing-in of Lai nears.

Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party has been the Vice President in the administration of outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen. As Tsai and her DPP have rejected Beijing’s claim over Taiwan and have moved closer to the United States, Beijing’s aggression over the past eight years —coinciding with the rise of Xi’s as China’s absolutist ruler— towards Taiwan has consistently increased.

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In the run-up to the Taiwanese presidential election in January, Beijing labelled Lai as “secessionist”, “confrontational”, and one who will lead the island on an “evil” path. Beijing openly favoured his rival Hou Yu-ih of Kuomintang (KMT) party. A report later released by Microsoft showed that Beijing deployed deepfakes in the campaign against Lai in order to influence the Taiwanese election.