China sends dozens of warplanes towards Taiwan; Conducts "Joint Firepower Strike Drills"
HY News
26 December, 2022 11:57 am IST
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Seventy-one Chinese air force aircrafts which included fighter jets and drones entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone in the past 24 hours, the island's government said marking the largest reported incursion to date.
The incursion included 43 Chinese aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line which is an unofficial buffer between the two sides that lies within the defence zone, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.
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.
“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.
Media reports said 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.
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.
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