China steps up military intimidation against Taiwan – The HuffPost

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INTERNATIONAL – Taiwan on Saturday accused Beijing of increasing the pressure and wanting to undermine peace in the region, in the aftermath of the largest incursion of military planes Chinese in the air defense identification area of ​​the island.

Beijing’s show of force came on Communist China’s anniversary. A record number of Chinese military planes, 38 in total, including a nuclear-capable H-6 bomber, have made a foray.

The 23 million inhabitants of this island, now ruled by a democratic regime, live under the constant threat of an invasion from China.

Beijing considers this territory, ruled today by a democratic regime, as a rebel province called to return to its fold, if necessary by force. Since the arrival in 2012 of Xi Jinping at the head of the Communist Party and therefore of the country, Chinese military planes have penetrated almost daily in the air defense identification zone (“Adiz”, according to its acronym in English) of Taiwan. .

China “belligerent”

But Friday’s foray drew particularly harsh admonition from Taipei. “China has been belligerent and undermined regional peace while engaging in numerous acts of intimidation,” Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said during a press briefing on Saturday morning.

“It is obvious that the world, the international community, increasingly rejects these behaviors of China,” he added.

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said 22 fighter jets, two bombers and an anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwestern Adiz of the island on Friday. On the night of Friday to Saturday, a second group of 13 planes entered the Adiz, bringing the total number of aircraft to 38, according to the ministry.

An air defense identification area is airspace in which a State wishes to identify and locate aircraft for reasons of national security.

Such incursions by Chinese aviation in this area have multiplied for two years, Beijing intends to carry out demonstrations of force at important times. It is also a way for China to test Taipei’s aging fleet of fighter jets.

“These warplanes that appeared in Taiwanese skies on China’s birthday are a new way to celebrate the holidays. There could be more next year if the Taiwanese authorities continue their provocations, ”wrote on Twitter the editor of the Global Times, Chinese state newspaper.

Tensions never seen for 30 years

Friday’s show of force comes days after Beijing accused Britain of sending a warship, for the first time since 2008, into the Taiwan Strait with “sinister designs”.

China claims the strait that separates mainland China from the island of Taiwan, as well as almost all of the South China Sea, further south. The United States and other countries believe that this area belongs to international waters, and is therefore open to everyone.

Last year, 380 Chinese military planes were detected in the island’s air defense identification zone and since the start of the year there are more than 500. The previous daily record dates back to June 15, when 28 aircraft had crossed the Taiwan air defense zone.

Some experts say that tensions between mainland China and Taiwan are at their highest since the mid-1990s. US military officials have not hidden fears that China may consider invading the island.

Friday’s incursions come after Britain on September 27 and for the first time since 2008 sent a warship into the Taiwan Strait. The People’s Liberation Army command condemned the act, accusing Britain of harboring “bad intentions aimed at sabotaging peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.

Alexander Huang, associate professor at Tamkang University in Taipei, said the latest air foray is not just about sending a message to Taiwan.

China does indeed take a dim view Washington’s support for Taiwan which applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the largest trade deal in the region. Even though Washington left the partnership under the Trump presidency, Joe Biden’s administration felt that the island’s candidacy should be considered by CPTPP members and urged China to “cease military, diplomatic and economic pressure. . ”

“China sends a political message to the United States and the United Kingdom on their national holiday: ‘Do not do nonsense in my region’”. Canadian, French and Australian warships have also crossed the Taiwan Strait in recent years, sparking strong protests from Beijing.

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