China asserts that Taiwan, which has been governed independently since 1949, is a rebellious part of its territory. The country employs military force to strengthen its threats of forcibly taking control of the island.
China escalates military activities around Taiwan
The aircraft and warships were identified in the 24 hours up to 6.00 a.m. (2200 GMT on Wednesday), according to the ministry’s statement.
According to the AFP news agency, this marks the highest number of Chinese aircraft spotted this year.
The Chinese military buildup follows Taiwanese reports on Wednesday that Beijing had staged a combat drill about 74 kilometers (40 nautical miles) off the southern coast of the island.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s Presidential Office expressed “strong condemnation” of China’s actions, calling them a “blatant provocation.”
The island’s Foreign Ministry urged the international community “to continue monitoring the security of the Taiwan Strait and the region and to jointly denounce China’s repetitive and unilateral actions.”
China dismissed the drills as “routine training,” accusing Taipei of spreading “hype.”
Undersea cables damage attributed to China
The recent China’s military actions come a few days after one of its naval live-fire exercises near Australia forced nearly 50 commercial flights to adjust their routes for safety reasons.
On Tuesday, Taiwan apprehended a Chinese cargo ship the suspected suspect of cutting an undersea telecoms cable connected to Taiwan’s Penghu island group.
China has accused Taiwan of making unfounded allegations, stating that undersea cable damages worldwide often occur by accident.
US support for Taiwan shrouded in uncertainty
The rise in military activities parallels ongoing doubts about the level of support Taipei can rely on from Washington, particularly since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The United States is legally bound to supply arms to Taiwan and is the island’s main supporter and arms supplier, but has consistently maintained “strategic ambiguity” on if it would militarily intervene in defense of the island.
Trump remained silent when asked if he would attempt to halt any Chinese efforts to forcefully seize the island.
However, in a separate interview with Fox News, a conservative US media platform, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US “has existing commitments to prevent that from happening and respond to it, and that will be executed … The Chinese are aware of this as well.”
The tensions between China and Taiwan trace back to 1949 when Kuomintang nationalist forces led by General Chiang Kai-shek fled to the island following their defeat to Mao Zedong’s communist forces in a civil war.
Since then, Taiwan has been governed independently, yet China has never abandoned its claim of ownership.
Edited by: Kieran Burke
