Taiwan Sees 103 Warplanes From China in 24 Hours as Taipei Claims ‘Harassment’

Taiwan's defense ministry has called on China to stop its "military harassment" of the self-governing island after spotting more than 100 Chinese military aircraft.

This is the latest in a series of military drills to buttress Beijing's sovereignty claim. Taiwan's defense ministry made the request after observing more than 100 Chinese military aircraft, Al Jazeera reported.

Taiwan Urges an End to Chinese Military Harassment

Since Sunday, the Ministry of Defense of China has reported sighting 103 Chinese military aircraft, including fighter jets, flying over the ocean. It refers to this number as a recent high. In addition to that, it stated that it discovered nine ships of the navy.

Its portrayal of Chinese activity over the preceding 24 hours showed 40 of the planes flying over the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which served as an informal barrier between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait until China began crossing it routinely a year ago.

Other planes went south of the island, passing across the Bashi Channel, the body of water dividing Taiwan and the Philippines. Beijing considers Taiwan, which is governed democratically, part of its territory and has not ruled out the possibility of employing force to achieve its goals.

The ministry said in an accompanying statement that the recent attempts by China have created serious challenges for the region's and the strait's overall security. China's actions have brought about these challenges. It was emphasized that all parties in the region bear some responsibility for ensuring the Taiwan Strait remains peaceful and stable.

Tony Hu, a former senior director of the United States Department of Defense for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, asserted that though the Chinese acts took place in international airspace, they were not in violation of international law and instead had the intent to frighten Taiwan and try to flex their muscle.

Hu made this remark in response to a question about whether or not the actions violated international law. According to NDTV, he argued that even though Beijing could be expecting a reaction from Taiwan, it was highly improbable that Taiwan would give one.

In addition to the activities carried out by the Chinese air force over the weekend, Taiwan was able to identify drills carried out in the western Pacific by the Chinese navy and its Shandong aircraft carrier last week.

According to the Japanese defense ministry, the Japanese navy observed a quick combat support ship, a destroyer, a frigate, and the Shandong approximately 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Miyakojima Island, located east of Taiwan. The Shandong was also among the ships that were spotted, as per The Guardian.

Chinese Navy Exercises in Western Pacific Raise Concerns

In addition to this, it confirmed allegations that aircraft such as jets and helicopters had taken off and landed from the Shandong. A regional security official informed the news agency Reuters that the naval manoeuvres were the largest in years and had escalated strains all around the region.

This information was provided by the official. Due to the delicate nature of the circumstance, the person in question asked to remain anonymous. According to a statement that was released by Taiwan's defense ministry a week ago, the Chinese military maneuvers near the coast are generally at their peak activity during July through September.

The Chinese government has not issued any official statements in response to any of the recent military drills that have taken place in the region. Beijing conducted military drills that simulated Taiwan's encirclement shortly after Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America, Kevin McCarthy, in California in April.

Following the visit to Taiwan in August 2022 by McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, Taiwan likewise carried out several thorough drills.

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Taiwan, China