Taiwan Strait situation worsening following Chinese incursion, claims Def Min Kuo-cheng

On Monday, Taiwan's Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng remarked that recent events in the Taiwan Strait have aggravated the cross-strait situation. Speaking to reporters before a Parliamentary meeting, he stated that China's frequent Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) invasions have made the cross-strait situation extremely tense in recent days. He further claimed that China's continued incursions are nothing more than a strategy to progressively deplete Taiwan's military's energy, reported Taiwan News citing CNA. 

According to Chiu, Taiwan has so far shown perseverance in responding to Chinese aggression but now the military will examine, analyse, and become familiar with all of China's military aircraft in order to formulate future response plans. On Sunday, November 28, as many as 27 Chinese military aircraft intruded on Taiwan's ADIZ, including a tanker aircraft, five H-6 bombers as well as one Y-20 aerial refuelling aircraft, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry scrambled warplanes immediately after the invasions to "warn" the Chinese planes to retreat. Taipei also deployed missile systems to monitor the warplanes, according to a report by Associated Press (AP). 

ADIZ stretches hundreds of kilometres

It is worth noting here that the ADIZ spans hundreds of kilometres from Taiwan's coast and even into certain parts of mainland China. It is larger than Taiwan's sovereign air space, which only extends 12 nautical miles off the coast. In recent months, China has reportedly flown a number of aircraft into the ADIZ on a regular basis, but the warplanes have not entered Taiwan's sovereign airspace. Taiwan, which has a population of 23.6 million people, split away from China in 1949 after a civil war that saw the Communist Party seize control of the mainland.

US increases support for Taiwan

Meanwhile, China's geopolitical competitor, the United States of America has increased its backing for Taiwan. Two US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill last week aimed at assisting Taiwan in expanding its international ties. The proposed 'Promoting Ties with Taiwan Act,' is intended to encourage the US government to use its diplomatic ties and reputation to assist Taipei in strengthening bilateral ties with nations and partners across the world, reported ANI. According to Taiwan Focus, Republican Michelle Fischbach and Democrat Scott Peters presented the draft for the stated Act.

Image: AP