63 Chinese warplanes, 4 ships detected around Taiwan

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Taiwan said on Monday that 63 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels had been detected around the self-ruled island.

The Defense Ministry of the island nation said 31 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the imaginary median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered its air defense identification zone.

The Chinese vehicles were tracked with electronic tracking tools, patrol planes, ships, and ground missile systems, it added on Twitter.

China has stepped up military activities around Taiwan since August, when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation to the island nation of more than 24 million people.

China views Taiwan as a “breakaway province” despite Taipei having governed itself since 1949. Beijing has vowed to reunify the island, including by force if necessary.

​​​​​​​Apart from the show of military might, Beijing has downgraded military dialogue with the US and suspended cooperation on climate change issues, along with six other counter-measures.