Around 71 warplanes were used by China for ‘strike drills’ around Taiwan over the weekend, said the Taiwan Defence Ministry in a statement on Monday. Responding to Taiwan, China said that it had conducted “strike drills” in the sea and the airspace around Taiwan on Sunday 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 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.
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.
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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.