“China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace,” Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday morning following the reported incursions.
Chinese-claimed Taiwan has complained for a year or more of repeated missions by China’s air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
The Taiwan Defence Ministry first reported Taiwanese fighters had scrambled against 18 J-16 and four Su-30 fighter jets plus two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and an anti-submarine aircraft on Friday.
Then in the early hours of Saturday, the ministry said a further 13 Chinese aircraft were involved in a mission on Friday night – 10 J-16s, 2 H-6s and an early warning aircraft.
It said Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.
The first batch of Chinese aircraft all flew in an area close to the Pratas Islands, with the two bombers flying closest to the atoll, according to a map issued by the ministry.
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Taiwan has reported 38 Chinese military jets flying into its air defence zone on Friday - the largest incursion by Beijing to date.
ReplyDeleteThe defence ministry said the aircraft, including nuclear-capable bombers, entered its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in two waves.
Taiwan responded by scrambling its jets and deploying missile systems.
China sees democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign state.
Taiwan has been complaining for more than a year about repeated missions by China's air force near the island.
"China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday.
The government in Beijing - which is marking 72 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China - has so far made no public comment.
But it has previously said such flights were to protect its sovereignty and also targeted "collusion" between Taiwan and the US.