Taiwan’s defense ministry said it spotted 17 Chinese aircraft and five ships around Taiwan on Saturday, as Beijing continues military activity near the island.
The ministry added that what it monitored included four planes that crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait, which is an unofficial barrier between the two sides.
On Wednesday, Taiwan displayed its most advanced fighter, a US-made F-16V missile-equipped fighter jet, during a night flight that followed unprecedented military exercises off the island’s coast by Beijing.
In August, Beijing conducted several days of air and naval maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait, coinciding with the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island, followed by another visit by a delegation from the US Congress.
In response to China’s maneuvers, Taiwan simulated how to deal with a possible Chinese invasion.
On Wednesday evening, elements of Taiwan’s Air Force carried US-made AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles under the wings of an F-16V fighter, which is an upgraded and more sophisticated version of the fighter, at a base in Hualien County (east). F-16″ dating back to the 1990s.
According to the Taiwan Air Force, as part of this “combat readiness” exercise, six F-16V aircraft, including two armed missiles, took off from the air base on a night reconnaissance mission.
The Chinese Air Force announced: “In the face of the threat caused by the recent exercises of the Chinese forces, we have been vigilant and at the same time we are training the concept of battlefields anywhere and at any time to ensure the national security of the country.” In a statement.
Taiwan enjoys autonomy, but China considers it an inalienable part of its territory and asserts that the island will one day return to its sovereignty, if necessary by force.
Taipei has accused Beijing of using Pelosi’s visit to the island, the highest-ranking US elected official to visit the island in decades, as a pretext for exercises to simulate an invasion of its territory.
In recent years, Taiwan has modernized its aging air fleet.
In November, Taiwan’s air force deployed its first squadron of F-16V fighter jets that former US President Donald Trump’s administration had agreed to deliver to Taipei.
Source: Lebanon Debate
