Taipei's Defense Ministry has confirmed that ten Chinese military aircraft breached Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, which comes at the end of a week that Taiwan's military conducted extensive drills simulating a Chinese attack on the island.
The defense ministry identified two Y-8 fighters, a pair of J-11s, as well as six J-16 jets which made the incursion. According to Bloomberg, citing a ministry statement, "Taiwanese patrol issued radio warnings and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activity."
Such incursions appear to be coming more frequently in the past weeks, and Beijing likely is sending a 'message' to the self-declared autonomous island following the major anti-China military exercises. Friday's incursion marks the 15th such breach so far this month alone, which means the hostile flights have been made on a daily basis.
As The Guardian detailed, the war drills simulated a scenario in which China attacks its vulnerable airbases and airports first. The exercise was geared toward a response after which the airbases were already crippled:
Taiwanese fighter jets landed on a makeshift runway on a road on Wednesday as annual drills reached their peak, practising skills that would be needed in the event of an attack by China.
In exercises overseen by President Tsai Ing-wen, three aircraft – an F-16, French-made Mirage and a Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter plus an E-2 Hawk-Eye early warning aircraft – landed in rural southern Pingtung county on a road specially designed to be straight and flat for rapid conversion into a runway.
All of this also comes after at the start the week China furiously lashed out over reports the US is "seriously considering" allowing the Taiwanese government to rename its representative office in Washington to include the word "Taiwan".
Taipei also just announced approval of $9 billion more in military spending in order to counter threats from the mainland. Biden has signaled he plans to continue to Trump policy of large weapons transfers to the island.
1 comment:
We know all we need to know, there are no Leaders...anywhere, IMO! It's like watching a gambler waste their money when knowing so many could use that money; Just think, all the Billions spent on war War simulations threatening, provoking, taunting, and boy could the world use some of that money to help so many in need!
Fall time is such a beautiful time of the year, enjoy
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