China sends warplanes towards Taiwan, days after US-approved arms sale

BEIJING

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry on Saturday said that China had sent dozens of aircraft and vessels toward the island, just days after the United States approved a $500 million arms sale to Taiwan. In a statement, the Defence Ministry said that 32 aircraft from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and nine vessels from the navy had been detected in the 24 hours between 6 am on Friday and 6 am on Saturday. Of these, 20 aircraft either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or breached Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone. In response, Taipei has tasked its own aircraft, vessels and missile systems to respond to the activities, its military said.
Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province to be taken by any force necessary. In the past year, the country has stepped up military drills around the island in reaction to Taiwan’s political activities. The Chinese military had last week launched drills around the island as a “stern warning” after Taiwan’s vice president stopped over in the US while on an official trip to Paraguay. The State Department on Wednesday said it had signed off on the sale of infrared search and track systems for F-16 fighter jets and other related equipment to Taiwan worth half a billion dollars. On Friday, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said that China opposed the arms sale, calling it a “gross interference” in the country’s internal affairs and describing it as a “heinous act” that violates its “One China” principle, as well as three Sino-American joint communiques. Zhang also said that China urged the US to fulfil its commitment to disavow and not support the independence of Taiwan.