4 Chinese Warplanes And 5 Navy Ships Cross The Taiwan Strait

After the US gave Taiwan an arms package worth USD 1.1 billion, four Chinese planes and five ships crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan News said that China’s Ministry of National Defense said at 5 p.m. on September 3 that it had tracked four planes and five ships around the country.

People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Chengdu J-10 multi-role combat aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line at its southern end, the ministry said on Twitter.

Taiwan gave the Chinese activities to the Combat Air Patrols (CAP), Navy ships, and air defence missile systems to watch and respond to. Taiwan News said that Taiwan also sent out radio warnings.

The attacks come after the US said it would sell Taiwan a package of arms worth $1.17 billion. The deal included anti-ship Harpoon missiles, short-range air-to-air Sidewinder missiles, and radar equipment.

China’s embassy in Washington threatened to take action if the US didn’t cancel the latest arms deal. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Presidential Office and Ministry of National Defense thanked the Biden administration for helping Taiwan with its defence needs.

By 5 p.m. on Friday, Taiwan had found 19 Chinese military planes and three ships around the country.

Four warplanes from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) flew into the country’s air defence identification zone in the southwest (ADIZ).

The ministry said on Twitter that the planes were two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, a Shaanxi Y-8 ASW anti-submarine plane, and a Shaanxi Y-8 EW electronic warfare plane.

China’s military has been acting more aggressively toward the country, especially since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited on August 2 and 3.

Since Pelosi’s trip, there have been more live-fire missile tests, large-scale military drills all along China’s coast, warplanes crossing the middle line of the Taiwan Strait, and civilian drones flying over Taiwan-held islands close to China.

Taiwan News said that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense moved anti-drone guns to the nearby islands of Kinmen and Matsu after several incidents involving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that were thought to have come from China.

Several days ago, civilian drones were seen flying over Taiwan-held islands near the coast of China’s Fujian Province. On Thursday, one of these drones was shot down over the sea in Kinmen County after it didn’t listen to warnings.

The UAVs are seen as another sign of China’s provocative behaviour, along with recent large-scale military drills and the almost daily incursions of Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to Taiwan News.