lørdag 2. oktober 2021

Taiwan says record 38 Chinese planes entered defence zone

Taiwan has reported 38 Chinese military jets flying into its air defence zone on Friday - the largest incursion by Beijing to date. The defence ministry said the aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, entered its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in two waves. Taiwan responded by scrambling its jets and deploying missile systems.

China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state. Taiwan has been complaining for more than a year about repeated missions by China's air force near the island. "China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday.

The government in Beijing - which is marking 72 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China - has so far made no public comment. But it has previously said such flights were to protect its sovereignty and also targeted "collusion" between Taiwan and the US.