China says it conducted necessary 'combat readiness patrol' near Taiwan

China said that it had undertaken a “combat readiness patrol” in the sea and airspace around Taiwan, a blatant revolt against what it terms a ‘US-Taiwan collusion'. On Wednesday, the Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), called its military move a “necessary action” against the US-Taiwan partnership, which was putting the island in danger. In recent times, Beijing has adopted a method of carrots and sticks to claim sovereign rights over Taiwan- a self-governing island located just 100 miles from the mainland. 

Meanwhile, lambasting Washington, the PLA stressed that “recently, the United States has frequently made moves on the Taiwan issue, saying one thing and doing another, instigating support for Taiwan independence forces, which will push Taiwan into a dangerous situation,” the command added in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the troops have continued to improve their training and war readiness and will thwart any external meddling aimed at achieving ‘Taiwan's independence'. The island is currently governed by an autonomous, democratically elected government. Notably, Washington has also raised serious concerns over China's growing belligerence on Taipei and its clampdown on international trade rules for the self-ruled island by exerting economic pressure.

Recently, US State Secretary Antony Blinken accused the Xi Jinping administration of inflaming tensions over the island, citing recent aircraft incursions as an example of "increasingly provocative rhetoric and conduct.” In recent months, PLA has increased its incursions into Taiwanese territories. Earlier this week, China manifested its largest air raid in Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) since January with 30 planes breaching the international boundary. 

More about the aerial raid

Taiwan's Defence Ministry claimed that as many as 30 warplanes of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, May 30. The ministry stated that Chinese military aircraft, two-thirds of which were fighter planes, entered the southwestern region of the country's ADIZ, marking the second-largest incursion since January by China. "30 PLA aircraft (KJ-500 AEW&C*2, Y-8 ELINT*4, Y-8 EW*1, Y-8 ASW*1, J-16*6, J-11*8, J-10*4, SU-35*2, and SU-30*2) entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on May 30, 2022 [sic], the ministry wrote in a Twitter post.

(Image: AP/@MoNDefense)