TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwan’s defense ministry has said that Taiwanese fighters were scrambled to intercept 30 Chinese air force fighter jets this week, the largest such incursion of the island’s air defense zone since January.
Over the past two years, democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of China, has complained of repeated incursions by China’s air force, with the largest occurring on 23rd January, which involved 39 Chinese aircraft.
Taipei has called China’s repeated military activities “grey zone” warfare, designed to to test the island’s responses and wear out its forces by making them scramble constantly.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said the latest Chinese incursion included 22 fighters, as well as electronic warfare, early warning and antisubmarine aircraft, adding that combat planes were sent to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.
China, which has in the past said such moves were drills aimed at protecting the country’s sovereignty, has not immediately commented.
Last week, the Chinese military said it conducted an exercise around Taiwan as a “solemn warning” against its “collusion” with the U.S., after President Joe Biden angered it by appearing to signal a change in a U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan.
Biden said if China attacked Taiwan, the U.S. would become involved militarily.
