Taiwan claims of detecting 41 Chinese military aircraft and ships on Friday around the island, reports AFP. China conducted the drill ahead of a Hawaii stopover by President Lai Ching-te, part of a Pacific tour that has sparked fury in Beijing.
Taiwan and regional security analysts said: “China could begin military drill near Taiwan in the coming days, showing Lai’s Pacific tour and stopover in the US as an excuse.”
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of its claim as a sovereign nation. Taiwan says China deploys warplanes, drones and warships around Taiwan almost daily.
Taiwan said: “The number has increased in recent year. China has conducted two large scale war-drills around Taiwan this year.”
According to an AFP report, 33 Chinese warplanes and eight naval ships were detected in the airspace and waters as of 6 am (local time) on Friday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said. Of these, 19 warplanes took part in China’s “joint combat readiness patrol” on Thursday evening.
Friday’s number was the highest in more than three weeks, according to an AFP survey of daily statistics released by the Taiwanese ministry. Taiwan has also complained that Chinese balloons are also flying near the island.
“It cannot be ruled out that China could carry out relatively large-scale military exercises in response to Lai’s visit,” Su Ju-yun, a military expert at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told the media.
President Lai is a defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty. He is on his first foreign trip since taking office in May. Lai will begin a tour of the Pacific on Saturday. A formal announcement on his US stopover could come on Friday, sources said. Taiwanese government officials often stop on US during trips to the Pacific or Latin America. China has conducted the drill to express its anger over Lai’s planned visit.
A spokesman for Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Thursday that any attempt to interfere with Taiwan’s independence would be “resolutely crushed.” Meanwhile, Lin Ying-yu, a military expert at Taiwan's Tamkang University, said: “China would respond based on Lai’s statements during the visit.”
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
