Taiwan says 10 Chinese military planes have crossed the median line amid escalating tensions in the region.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry on April 1 said that nine Chinese fighter jets and one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew over the median line.
According to the announcement, the 10 planes mentioned above have crossed the 24-hour median line, as of 6 am today (local time).
According to Reuters, the median line is the unofficial maritime boundary between mainland China and the island of Taiwan. China considers Taiwan an indivisible territory that must be reunified at all costs, including by force.
Taiwan sent aircraft to warn the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems monitored the weapons’ movements, the statement said.
The incident took place in the context of the Taiwanese leader’s transit in the US within the framework of his visit to countries in Central America.
Ms. Tsai is expected to visit Guatemala and Belize, transiting through two US cities, New York and Los Angeles. Sources familiar with the matter said that Tsai plans to meet US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, USA.
China has warned it will respond firmly if the meeting takes place. Meanwhile, US officials said that a Taiwanese leader’s transit in the US was “not a new thing”, and urged Beijing to refrain from overreacting.
McCarthy’s predecessor, the former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei last August. In response to this action, Beijing held live-fire drills around the island and suspended eight dialogue and cooperation mechanisms with the US in areas including military, illegal immigration, countermeasures, and countermeasures. illicit drugs, transnational crime, and climate change.
Tsai’s most recent visit to the US took place in 2019. At the time, the Chinese military conducted exercises off the southeast coast of Taiwan in what was seen as a warning message. Taiwan and Washington.
