With more than 70 warplanes, China launches its largest ever raid on Taiwan

China has launched its biggest raid yet on Taiwan’s air defense zone, the Taiwanese government has said. More than 70 Chinese fighter jets and drones have entered the area in the past 24 hours, and 43 of them crossed briefly the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

The midline refers to the edge in the sea where the so-called Identification Air Defense Zone (ADIZ) begins, i.e. Taiwanese airspace plus an additional perimeter monitored by its forces.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 47 of the flights crossed the ADIZ from the island.

He specified that six SU-30 aircraft participated in the exercise, one of the most advanced that China has.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) confirmed this on Sunday conducted an “attack exercise” in response to “provocations” which he has not yet detailed a “collusion” between the United States and Taiwan.

Taiwan lives under a constant threat of invasion by China, which considers the autonomous island part of its territory and He promised to take it back.

Beijing has stepped up its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan under President Xi Jinping, and relations between the two sides have deteriorated.

One of the pressure tactics that China is using with increasing frequency is to transfer Taiwan’s ADIZ

So far this year there have been 1,700 raids on the ADIZ Taiwanese with Chinese military aircraft, up from 969 in 2021 and 146 in 2020.

China did not specify the number of aircraft participating in Sunday’s maneuvers or their location.

The Taiwanese count indicates this most aircraft crossed the “midline” of the Taiwan Strait which separates the two sides.

Taiwan’s ADIZ, which it is larger than its airspaceI know it overlays in some parts with that of China.

The tension with the United States

The PLA said Sunday’s exercises were “a firm response to growing collusion and provocations by US and Taiwanese authorities.”

Beijing has rejected President Joe Biden’s Taiwan policy, especially after he said Washington would defend the island if it was attacked by China.

The prospect of a Chinese invasion made Western countries nervous and to many of the neighbors from China.

Xi, China’s most authoritarian ruler in decadeshe insisted that the so-called “reunification” of Taiwan cannot be left to future generations.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine it also raised fears that China would attempt something similar with Taiwan.

The United States has increased its support for Taiwan and its Congress recently approved $10 billion in military assistance to Taipei, despite “strong opposition” from Beijing.

Tensions came to a head in August when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island, prompting the PLA to hold a huge military exercise around the island.

As part of its actions against Taiwan, China has stepped up the use of its H-6 bombers, nuclear capability, in raids on ADIZ.

In an operation this month, China sent 18 H-6s southwest of the ADIZ, in the largest daily raid to date.

With information from AFP

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