China sends 25 warplanes near Taiwan

TAIPEI:

China’s air force sent 25 fighters and bombers into the Taiwan Strait, emphasising military pressure on the government in Taipei as it boosts ties with the UN.

Beijing, on April 12, deployed 14 J-16 and four J-10 fighters, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 anti-sub warfare planes and one KJ-500 early warning aircraft into the southwest section of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.

The sortie was the largest China had sent to Taiwan this year. In return, Taiwan’s air force responded by sending a patrol aircraft to the area and tracking the Chinese planes with missile defence systems.

Since US President Joe Biden assumed office in January, Washington and Beijing have been issuing warnings to one another regarding Taiwan.

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On Sunday, US Secretary of state Antony Blinken said China should avoid meddling in Taiwan, stating that Beijing was fomenting tensions in the strait with “aggressive actions”.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said that the US should stop “crossing lines and playing with fire” as there is “no room for compromise or concessions” in Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.

The Communist Party ruling China regards Taiwan as its territory, which it must seize by force if necessary.

(Edited by Ridhika Joshi)