Taiwan’s protection ministry says dozens of Chinese navy plane entered air area close to island

Dozens of Chinese navy plane and 4 ships have been detected round Taiwan on Sunday amid elevated tensions, Taiwan’s protection ministry stated. 

At least 28 of the Chinese plane crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer zone that separates the island from China. 

The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command stated in an announcement that they carried out “joint fight readiness patrols and precise fight drills” to “resolutely counter the provocative actions of exterior forces and Taiwan independence separatist forces.” 

FILE PHOTO: In this photograph launched by Xinhua News Agency, fighter jets of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conduct a joint fight coaching workouts across the Taiwan Island.
(Gong Yulong/Xinhua by way of AP)

Taiwan’s protection ministry stated plane, ships, and land-based missile methods have been activated to reply to the incursion. It’s the second time this week that China’s navy has flown plane close to Taiwan. 

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Tensions got here to a head in August after then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, with China selecting up the frequency of fight drills across the island in current months. 

FILE PHOTO: Soldiers take place throughout Taiwan’s predominant annual “Han Kuang” train in New Taipei City, Taiwan, July 27, 2022. 
(REUTERS/Ann Wang)

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated this week that he thinks struggle will be prevented. 

“There is a danger of battle with respect to Taiwan, however I consider that with accountable stewardship, we are able to be certain that this contingency by no means involves go. And that’s our duty,” Sullivan instructed NPR. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed President Biden on the November G20 summit in Bali that the Taiwan query was the “very core of China’s core pursuits” and the “first pink line” in bilateral ties. 

President Biden stated after that assembly that he does “not suppose there’s any imminent try on the a part of China to invade Taiwan.” 

Reuters contributed to this report.