15 aircraft and four ships of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) approached Taiwan, the island’s defense department said on Friday, March 10.
According to the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, in particular, the J-11 fighter crossed the airspace in the area of the so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait.
In response, the island’s defense forces raised an air patrol, distributed radio warnings, and deployed anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs).
Earlier, on March 6, it was reported that 10 aircraft and four ships of the PLA were recorded near Taiwan. In response, the island army also deployed an SAM and raised a patrol into the air. It was specified that a Y-8 radar reconnaissance aircraft and a BZK-005 long-range drone entered Taiwan’s air defense zone.
On March 5, the socio-economic development plan of the PRC for 2023 was published. In particular, it says that Beijing is determined to continue the resolute struggle against Taiwan’s independence and plans to achieve reunification with the island province.
The conflict between China and Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in August last year. The Chinese side considers Taiwan its own territory, therefore, it considers the visit of the island by officials of other countries as support for Taiwan’s independence. Following Pelosi’s visit, the PLA began a live-fire exercise off the island.
The island of Taiwan has been governed by an independent administration since 1949, when the Kuomintang party forces led by General Chiang Kai-shek, who lost in the civil war with the Communist Party of China, moved to Taiwan. Contacts between the island and mainland China resumed in the late 1980s. The United States openly supports the Taiwan authorities.
