China has sent 39 planes and three warships to the coast of Taiwan and tensions are rising in the area

Taiwanese authorities reported on Thursday the deployment of a total of 39 Chinese aircraft and three warships to the island’s shores in 24 hours, most of which passed through the air defense identification zone.

“Between 6:00 am on December 21 and 6:00 am on December 22, 39 aircraft and three ships of the People’s Liberation Army were detected around Taiwan,” the island’s defense ministry said in a statement.

Of the total military aircraft detected, 30 crossed the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the southwest and southeast of the strait, Taiwanese authorities added.

ADIZ does not equate to airspace, but is a larger area where any foreign aircraft must announce their presence to local authorities.

Taiwan Military Forces (ROCA) has sent patrolling air, sea and land-based missile systems to respond to the situation, the defense ministry said, Europa Press news agency reported.

Military exercises with Moscow

As reported, the Chinese military movements were part of a joint naval exercise with Russia. Called “Naval Interaction”, the maneuvers – which have taken place annually since 2012 – will last until December 27, according to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA, Chinese Army) Daily.

According to information reported by the EFE news agency, a dedication ceremony was held on Wednesday afternoon in an unspecified area of ​​the East China Sea which was attended by the Chinese destroyer Jinan and the Russian cruiser Variag, media reports.

The executive director of the exercises for the Chinese side, Wang Yu, gave a speech in which he highlighted the “deepening” of the “comprehensive strategic coordination partnership between China and Russia” and the “friendly cooperation” between the militaries of the two countries ., all under the “personal leadership” of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

This edition marks the 10th anniversary of the exercises, a period in which both sides have “deepened” the content of the exercises and “standardized” their organizational model, Wang said, adding that China and Russia have “a high degree of mutual trust “. .

The historic clash between China and Taiwan

China and Taiwan have been de facto separated since 1949, when communist troops defeated the nationalists, who took refuge on the island.

China considers Taiwan a “rogue province” and has promised to take it back, even by force if necessary.

In 1979, the United States recognized Beijing’s government as that of all of China, including Taiwan, although it continued to provide military support to the island.

Links between Taiwan and mainland China were only commercially and informally re-established in the late 1980s.

The tension between China and Taiwan worsened after the visit to the island by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, on August 3, despite warnings from Beijing, which interpreted that trip as Washington’s support for Taiwanese independence activists.

His visit lasted less than 24 hours, but it was the highest level in 25 years and the first since 1997 that included a head of the US House of Representatives second in the presidential line of succession.

China, which perceived this visit as an incentive for secessionists, launched a large-scale military exercise in August that included long-range live ammunition in six areas adjacent to the rebellious island and a series of economic restrictions on Taiwanese suppliers.

The “reunification” of China is a priority objective for China and a first red line which – they say – must not be crossed.

Last October, during a telephone conversation with US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping formally ordered him to avoid “playing with fire”, alluding to possible intrusions into his policy towards that island territory.

Source: Telam