China sent 103 military planes to Taiwan, a new daily record for activity that the island considers harassment.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China’s military sent 103 warplanes to Taiwan over a 24-hour period, which the island’s Defense Ministry said Monday was a daily record in recent times.
The planes were detected between 6 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday, the ministry said. As is usual, they turned around before reaching Taiwan.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has conducted increasingly large military exercises in the air and waters around Taiwan as tensions rose between the two countries and with the United States. The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and opposes any attempt to change Taiwan’s status by force.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 40 of those planes crossed the symbolic border between mainland China and the island. It also reported nine military vessels in the previous 24 hours.
The ministry described the Chinese military action as “harassment” and warned that it could intensify in the current tense atmosphere. “We urge the authorities in Beijing to assume their responsibilities and immediately put an end to this type of destructive military activity,” he said in a statement.
China last week sent a flotilla of ships, including the aircraft carrier Shandong, to waters near Taiwan. The exercises took place shortly after the United States and Canada sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait, the waters that separate the island from the mainland.
China also unveiled a plan for an integrated development demonstration zone with Taiwan in China’s neighboring Fujian province, attempting to lure Taiwan while warning it against what experts say is China’s long-standing approach. the carrot and stick of China.
The recent actions may be an attempt to influence Taiwan’s presidential election in January. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which leans toward formal independence for the island, is anathema to the Chinese government. China favors opposition candidates who advocate collaboration with the continent.
Taiwan and China separated in 1949 when communists took control of China in a civil war. The losing nationalists fled to Taiwan and established their own government on the island.
The island is autonomous, although only a few foreign countries grant it official diplomatic recognition. The United States, among others, maintains formal ties with China while maintaining a representative office in Taiwan.
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