Taiwan spots 59 Chinese warplanes around island

Taiwan's Ministry of Defence reported that 59 Chinese military aircraft were spotted around the island over the past 24 hours, the highest number since October last year. This comes a few days after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-teh called China a "foreign hostile force".

Here's What We Know

Communist China considers Taiwan (also known as the Republic of China) to be part of its territory and does not rule out the use of force to annex it. Beijing has been increasingly deploying its military aircraft and ships near the island, as well as using espionage, cyberattacks and disinformation to weaken Taiwan's defences.

Over the past 24 hours, in addition to 59 aircraft, Taiwan has spotted nine Chinese warships and two balloons. Of these, 54 aircraft took part in joint combat patrols. This is the largest activity of Chinese aircraft since 15 October, when China sent 153 aircraft to Taiwan during military exercises in response to Lai's National Day speech.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that these actions were a "decisive response to the support for Taiwan's independence by external forces" and a "stern warning to the separatists". Beijing also criticised the US decision to remove the phrase "We do not support Taiwan's independence" from the State Department's website.

Last Thursday, Lai Ching-teh said that Chinese infiltration was deepening and called for new measures to counter it. The number of people detained for spying for Beijing has increased, and the main targets of the Chinese intelligence services are retired and active Taiwanese military personnel.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on Tuesday stressed that "China's aggressive military expansion threatens peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region".

Source: TDP