TAIPEI June 04. 2024 (Saba) - The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced this morning that it had detected 23 Chinese aircraft flying around the island in less than three hours.
The ministry said in a statement, according to Agence France-Presse, "As of 8:20 (00:20 GMT), we have successfully detected a total of 23 aircraft... including 16 that crossed the median line" extending in the middle of the Taiwan Strait separating the island from the Chinese mainland.
The statement explained that the aircraft included fighter jets, transport aircraft and drones, stressing that the army is "closely monitoring the situation."
According to the daily report of the Ministry of Defense in Taipei, these aircraft were detected after China sent 19 aircraft into Taiwan's airspace during a 24-hour period that ended at 6:00 am on Tuesday.
The level of tension between China and Taiwan has increased since the inauguration of Lai Ching-te as president of the island on May 20. Beijing considered his speech, in which he pledged to defend democracy in Taiwan and the freedom of the island, to be a "declaration of independence."
resource : Saba
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