25 Chinese Military Aircrafts Flew into Taiwan's Air Defense Zone Capable of Carrying Nuclear Weapons
The officials of Taiwan announced twenty-five aircraft of the Chinese military flew into its air defense zone on Monday. Moreover, the defense ministry said that a record number of jets, including jet fighters and nuclear-capable bombers, entered its air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The latest movement is the biggest in any year and comes as the United States warns against the increasingly aggressive behavior of China.
China takes Taiwan as a breakaway province of the country. Whereas democratic Taiwan sees itself as an independent state. Furthermore, Taiwan said that the latest Chinese mission involved eighteen fighter aircraft, along with four bombers – capable of carrying nuclear weapons, an early warning jet, and two anti-submarine jets. The defense ministry further adds that they dispatched combat planes to warn the Chinese aircraft. Likewise, they deployed the missile systems in the air to observe them.
The U.S. Raised Concerns about Aggressive Chinese Actions
In recent months, China took regular flights over the international waters between the Taiwanese-controlled Pratas Islands and the southern part of Taiwan in the South China Sea. The latest incursion from China also sees aircraft fly into the ADIZ to the southwest of Taiwan nearby the Pratas Islands. The Monday incident came one day after Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, said the Americans were concerned about the increasingly aggressive actions of China towards Taiwan.
EXCLUSIVE ON #MTP: “If China does try something in Taiwan, we will militarily respond?” @SecBlinken responds: “I’m not going to get into hypotheticals. All I can tell you is we have a serious commitment to Taiwan being able to defend itself.” pic.twitter.com/mJqEbYr6xw
In an interview with NBC News, Antony echoed his statement that America had a legal commitment to Taiwan and said that the U.S. would make sure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself. Further, he adds that it would be a severe mistake for any country to try to change the current situation by force.
25 China Military Jets enter Taiwan Air Zone Source: Web
Basics of China and Taiwan
Taiwan and China both have had separate governments since the Chinese civil war end in 1949. Whereas China long tried to restrict the international activities of Taiwan and both nations competed for influence in the Pacific region. Tensions climbed in the last few years, and Beijing used force in an effort to bring back the island.
Furthermore, only some countries officially recognized Taiwan as a separate nation, and its democratically elected government has strong informal and commercial relations with many nations. Like many other countries, the United States has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but American law demands it to provide the island with the ability to defend itself.
