Taiwan was forced to scramble its air force after reporting on Thursday that nine Chinese aircraft have entered the island nation's air defense zone, said the Taiwan Ministry of Defense.
Authorities said that a small fleet of eight J-16 fighters and a Yun-8 technical reconnaissance aircraft breached Taiwan's air space. The island nation's aircraft broadcast a warning to the Chinese planes and continued to monitor their activities.
Chinese Incursion in Taiwan
In an interview, a United States Defense Official said that the move was not an unusual thing for China. He noted that Beijing has already done similar acts in the past couple of months where they entered Taiwan's air defense zone.
Furthermore, a Defense Department spokesman said that the Pentagon was aware of what was happening between China and Taiwan. They added that the United States was concerned by "provocative military action near Taiwan."
The spokesman added that the U.S. federal government will continue to support a peaceful resolution to the issue between the two regions. They argued that China's actions were "destabilizing" and were a threat to regional peace and stability, as per Fox News.
The situation comes only a day after China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Taiwan was "not Ukraine" and argued that it has always been a part of the mainland. The remarks came after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for increased vigilance of military activities in response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
In a statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying dismissed concerns of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The latter said there was a possibility of worldwide consequences if Western nationals were not able to support Ukraine's independence.
According to The Hill, President Ing-wen ordered her working group on the Russia-Ukraine crisis to raise the surveillance and early warning of military developments around the Taiwan Strait. A U.S. defense official said in December that there was an urgent need to bolster Taiwan's defenses as China threatens to annex the island nation.
Global Tensions
On Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei was asked about the new U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy while in Beijing. He reiterated that Taiwan was a "core issue" of China and that the Asian powerhouse would not tolerate interference from foreign parties.
The official said that China was urging the United States to recognize the high sensitivity of the issue between Beijing and Taiwan. He added that authorities were requesting the American government to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan controversy.
The Biden administration vowed to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the Indo-Pacific region as detailed in the 12-page strategy overview issued earlier this month. Washington announced that it plans to cooperate with partners inside and outside Taiwan to maintain peace and stability in the strait dividing the island from China, Inquirer reported.
The recent incursion of Chinese aircraft comes after several others that involved much larger fleets. Despite having fewer planes, the breach of Taiwan's air defense zone was seen as an aggressive act of China.
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