In response, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) scrambled combat patrol aircraft and issued radio warnings to the Chinese aircraft. It also alerted its air defence missile systems to monitor Chinese fighters.
October 1 is Chinese national day while October 10 is Taiwanese National Day--anathema to Beijing as it cuts at the heart of its One China Policy (OCP).
The Chinese air force, known as the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) flew 38 planes on Friday--the Chinese National Day, followed by 39 on Saturday, 16 on Sunday and 52 on Monday into Taiwan's ADIZ.
China is not only testing the waters by flexing its muscles, it is also trying to demoralise Taiwan.
According to China experts, Beijing is reacting to the increased, and successful, mobilisation by the US, Japan, Taiwan, Australia in the Indo-Pacific in response to China's aggression against its neighbours and also the South China Sea (SCS).
The recent AUKUS (Australia, the UK and the US) military pact on equipping Australia with nuclear-power submarines to take on China has also rattled the latter.
The
China has publicly said that it plans to merge Taiwan to the mainland even if it has to annex it militarily. On the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 1, 2021, President
The US took note of the air space harassment. In a statement Washington said: "The United States 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. We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."
The US, which is a strong ally to a democratic Taiwan, reinforced that it will "continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability". Washington added that American commitment to Taiwan is "rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region".
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