Chinese military on Sunday said that it has carried out combat drill in the sea and airspace around Taiwan, the second such exercises in less than a month, reported Reuters.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said in a statement late on Sunday that its forces had organised "joint combat readiness patrols and actual combat drills" in the sea and airspace around Taiwan.
Last month, Taiwan Defence Ministry had said that 71 warplanes were used by China for ‘strike drills’ around Taiwan.
Responding to Taiwan, China had said that it “strike drills” were conducted in the sea and the airspace around Taiwan in response to what it said was provocation from the democratically-governed island and the United States, reported Reuters.
“71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 am today,” Taiwan’s Defence Ministry had said in a statement.
“47 of the detected aircraft had crossed the meridian line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southeast ADIZ,” it added.
Reacting to the drills, Taiwan said that it showed that Beijing was destroying regional peace and trying to cow down Taiwan’s people.
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As per the Reuters report, Taiwan sent unspecified combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems monitored their flight, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.
China, which considers Taiwan to be a part of its territory, has stepped up pressure in recent years on the self-governed island to accept Beijing’s rule. Taiwan, which rejects China’s assertion, says it wants peace but will defend itself if attacked.
Tensions between the two countries escalated this year after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August amid several warnings by Beijing. Following her visit, China stepped up its military drills around the island nation.