China again sends 23 warplanes and 8 Navy vessels near Taiwan as tensions soar in region

Tensions between Taiwan and China continue to escalate as Beijing on Sunday sent at least 23 aircraft and eight warships to conduct exercises near the self-governed island. According to the information shared by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry on the microblogging site, 8 PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) vessels and 23 PLA (People's Liberation Army) aircraft were detected on Sunday until 5 PM. The Taiwanese Defence Ministry said that their forces were monitoring the situation and added they responded to Chinese action with aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems. 

"8 PLAN vessels and 23 PLA aircraft around our surrounding region were detected today (August 28, 2022) until 1700(GMT+8). #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded to these activities with aircraft in CAP, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems," tweeted the Ministry of National Defence, Taiwan.

Earlier on Saturday, the ministry claimed it had tracked at least 21 Chinese warplanes and five ships near the country's border following the arrival of the vice chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Andrew Hsia, from a controversial trip. According to Channel NewsAsia, the incursions came as Hsia returned to the Taiwanese capital after he visited China. His visit was widely criticised as it came during large-scale military drills near Taiwan. On the other hand, KMT officials claimed his visit was focused mainly on meeting Taiwanese students and business people. Also, he attended a dinner with Zhang Zhijun, the head of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).

On Sunday, in a first amid the military standoff in the Taiwan Strait triggered by the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the US Navy sent at least two warships to the island nation. According to the statement released by the US 7th Fleet, the guided-missile cruisers -- USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville -- were conducting a routine transit. The cruisers transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State, it added.

US-China tensions escalate after Nancy Pelosi's visit

It is essential to note here that the Chinese government had warned Taiwan of a dramatic situation for allowing US Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taipei. It sent 27 aircraft to Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) hours after Pelosi's plane left Taipei after she spent nearly 18 hours on the island claimed by Beijing as its own. Also, China fired “precision missiles” in waters off Taiwan’s coasts as part of military exercises. Amid soaring tension, US Senator Marsha Blackburn, who landed in Taipei last week, met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei. During the meeting, Blackburn affirmed that the Biden administration remains steadfast in preserving freedom around the globe, and added it will not tolerate "efforts to undermine our nation and our allies."

Image: AP