Alert in Taiwan: more than 50 Chinese aircraft and warships pass near the island, what is known?

More than 50 Chinese aircraft and warships transited around Taiwan in the last 24 hours, some movements that occurred after the establishment, by Beijing, of seven air zones reserved for the possible carrying out of military maneuversofficial sources reported this Tuesday.

In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MDN) indicated that, between 06:00 a.m. on Monday (22:00 GMT on Sunday) and 06:00 a.m. on Tuesday (22:00 GMT on Monday), It had detected 47 Chinese aircraft and 12 warships in the vicinity of its territory, in addition to 9 other Chinese “official ships.”

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Of the total number of aircraft, 16 crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border that has been increasingly violated by China in recent years, and entered the southwestern region of the self-proclaimed Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). ) Taiwanese, although without penetrating Taipei airspace.

The Taiwan Armed Forces raised their alert level this Monday against the eventual launch of a new wave of military exercises by China, which would be the third this year, although Beijing, for the moment, has not officially confirmed the carrying out of any military operation.

On Sunday, Chinese authorities established seven reserved air zones in the provinces of Zhejiang (east) and Fujian (southeast), located off the coast of Taiwan, a measure that will last until 8:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

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In response, the MDN indicated that it had instructed “all units to maintain strict control of enemy activities and a high level of alert” and that it had also initiated “combat preparation exercises” in the face of possible Army maneuvers. Chinese in these areas.

These possible military exercises occur a few days after the Taiwanese president, William Lai, concluded a tour of the South Pacific with stops in his three allied countries in the area – Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – and stops in the US territories of Hawaii and Guam, which angered China.

During the last week, The Chinese Government repeatedly expressed its “firm rejection” of Lai’s transit through the United States, insisting that it would “unwaveringly” defend its “sovereignty and territorial integrity” in the face of attempts at “interference by external forces” in the Beijing’s “internal affairs”.

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China considers the president of Taiwan an “independence supporter” and a “troublemaker,” a territory governed autonomously since 1949 and whose sovereignty Beijing claims.

Since Lai took office on May 20, the MDN has detected more than 3,300 Chinese Army aircraft near the island, of which 2,343 crossed the Strait dividing line or violated the self-proclaimed Taiwanese ADIZ, a 37% increase. that in all of 2023.