 |
| 34 Planes and 9 Chinese Military Ships Detected in Taiwan Waters and Air |
Taipei - Taiwan's Defense Ministry said 34 military aircraft and nine Chinese naval vessels were detected near the island nation at around 3 a.m. "The Armed Forces have monitored the situation and assigned CAP aircraft, Navy ships and ground missile systems to respond to this activity," the ministry tweeted as quoted by Fox News, Wednesday (1/2/2023).
Twenty of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone). Attacks by the Chinese military occur almost daily. Beijing continues to fly military aircraft near Taiwan in an effort to re-enforce its stance that the island is part of China.
In late December, China set a record by sending 71 planes and seven ships to Taiwan for its largest-scale military drills in 2022. The drills were likely in response to the Biden administration's announcement of an additional $425 million in weapons for Taiwan's defense, made weeks earlier.
The sale won bipartisan praise, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pushed the Biden administration for more Taiwan aid. While officially adhering to a "one China" policy, which does not recognize Taiwan's sovereignty, the United States (US) has consistently supported Taiwan both economically and militarily as a bulwark of democracy against authoritarian China.
China claims Taiwan is a self-governing democratic island nation off China's coast and has an illegitimate government and that China has legal control over the island.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping expands his grip on China, fears are growing that he will seek to control Taiwan in the coming years, through economic, military or other means.