Over the weekend, China sent waves of warplanes racing towards Taiwan in numbers not seen before, forcing the democratic self-ruled island to scramble fighters and ready its air defence missiles. The United States says it is ‘very concerned’ by Beijing’s ‘provocative’ actions and reiterated Washington’s ‘rock solid’ commitment to the island.
According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, 38 Chinese aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers and J-16 fighter jets, entered its air defence identification zone on Friday, and another 39 did so again on Saturday — the largest incursion to date.
Some 16 more were sent on Sunday. The air defence zone is not Taiwanese air space as such but covers the sensitive approaches to the island where foreign aircraft are monitored and required to identify themselves.
Most Taiwanese no longer identify with China as defined by the Communist party
In recent months these incursions have been growing in size and regularity, as have other drills simulating an invasion of the island, which Beijing claims as its own.
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