Twenty-five Chinese warplanes infiltrated Taiwanese airspace Monday in Beijing’s largest aerial breach of the island since such violations began Sep. 2020, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense.
In response to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s actions, Taiwan scrambled fighter planes , deployed air defences, and beamed radio warnings to the infiltrating Chinese aircraft, a press release from Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense stated .
Before Monday’s incident, the largest Chinese incursion into the island country’s airspace occurred on Mar. 26, 2021, with 20 warplanes, according to a CNN report .
Taiwan has been posting frequent updates on Chinese infiltrations since Sep. 2020 when routine incursions began.
In recent weeks, the frequency of such overflights has increased. These violations have now become almost a daily occurrence as tensions between Beijing and Washington rise.
Taiwan is an issue over which both world powers tussle, mounting frequent displays of force to assert their view of the island and its future. China claims the right to rule Taiwan while the United States and many of its allies back Taiwanese autonomy.
On Apr. 5, China flanked Taiwan with its armed forces in military exercises to the west and east, CNN reported . Several Chinese aeroplanes breached Taiwan’s airspace following those exercises.
In response, the United States sent warships to the region to demonstrate its commitment to defending Taiwan.
Taiwan, a democratic island nation with a population of approximately 24 million individuals, has been governing itself independently for more than 70 decades.
Beijing considers its neighbour to be a breakaway province and has vowed never to let the island be independent.
Even though the island has not issued a formal independence declaration, it has, in effect, functioned as an independent country, maintaining its own domestic, military, and foreign affairs.
