Almost 100 Chinese warplanes have flown into Taiwan’s air defense zone in the past three days. That’s according to figures posted on Twitter by Taiwan’s defense ministry.
Taiwan has seen a steady increase in the number of flights by Chinese aircraft near its airspace since President Tsai’s reelection in 2020. The aircraft typically enter the southwestern part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
The air defense identification zone is an area around Taiwanese airspace defined by Taiwanese authorities. Taiwan requires all planes entering the zone to identify themselves.
On Saturday, a total of 39 Chinese planes flew into the zone. That’s the highest number in a single day since the defense ministry began publicizing the information on social media.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Sunday condemned China’s incursions into Taiwan’s air defense zone. Price says the US “is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability.” He is calling on Beijing to “cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan”.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry thanked the Biden administration for speaking up on Taiwan’s behalf. The foreign ministry says China’s military has ramped up its air and naval drills in the region, disturbing peace and stability.