No shelling took place and Chinese aircraft are not flying in their territorial airspace.
Taipei:
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Wednesday it had spotted 19 Chinese air force planes over its air defense zone in the past 24 hours, in what Taipei called routine harassment by Beijing.
Taiwan, which China views as its territory, has for the past three years complained of increased Chinese military activity near the island as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims.
China has said its activities in the region are justified because it wants to protect its territorial integrity and warned the United States against “collusion” with Taiwan, despite anger in Taipei.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said 19 J-10 fighters had flown over the southwestern corner of the island’s air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, although Taiwan was closer to the Chinese coast than Taiwan, according to a map released by the ministry. .
The ministry said Taiwan’s military monitored the situation, including dispatching planes of its own air force, using the common phrase for a response to such Chinese incursions.
However, the aircraft did not cross the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as an informal barrier between the two sides but has been used by China’s air force since staging war games near Taiwan last August. Flying on an almost daily basis.
No gunfire has taken place and the Chinese aircraft are flying in Taiwan’s ADIZ and not in its territorial airspace.
The ADIZ is a broad area that Taiwan monitors and patrols that serves to give it more time to respond to any threat.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government has repeatedly offered talks with China, but says the island will defend itself if attacked and that only Taiwanese people can decide their future.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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