China sends aircraft and vessels towards Taiwan days after US approves arms sale
The Taiwanese defence ministry said it had detected 32 aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Saturday that China sent dozens of aircraft and vessels towards the island, just days after the United States approved a 500 million dollar (£395 million) arms sale to Taiwan.
The defence ministry said in a statement that 32 aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army and nine vessels from the navy were detected in the 24 hours between 6am on Friday and 6am on Saturday local time.
Of these, 20 aircraft either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or breached Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.
In response, Taiwan tasked its own aircraft, vessels and missile systems to respond to the activities, the defence military said.
China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province to be taken by force if necessary.
In the past year, Beijing has stepped up military drills around the island in reaction to Taiwan’s political activities.
The Chinese military launched drills around Taiwan last week as a “stern warning” after Taiwan’s vice president stopped over in the US while on an official trip to Paraguay.
The State Department said on Wednesday it had signed off on the sale of infrared search and track systems for F-16 fighter jets and other related equipment to Taiwan worth half a billion dollars.
Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said on Friday that China opposed the arms sale, calling it a “gross interference” in China’s internal affairs and describing it as a “heinous act” that violates its “One China” principle, as well as three Sino-US joint communiques.