The defense ministry of Taiwan announced that Taiwan’s air force was scrambled on Thursday after nine Chinese aircraft flew into its air defense zone.
Taiwan, which China claims to be its territory, has complained about regular Chinese air force missions over the past two years. However, the aircraft never get within Taiwan. This was a far smaller number than the Chinese air force’s last major incursion on Taiwan, which saw 39 Chinese aircraft fly by on Jan. 23rd. Since then, these fly-bys with far fewer aircraft have been more frequent.
According to the outlet, the incident involved eight J-16 fighters from China and one Y-8 reconnaissance plane.
The Ministry of National Defense shared a photo of the flight paths in a Thursday social media post:
Tawain was supported earlier this month by the U.S. approval of weapons contracts, as China threats loomed.
Breitbart News reported that the United States had agreed to a $100m’military sales deal with Taiwan. This would allow them to access ‘PATRIOT missile defense systems and PATRIOT air, which will help protect their airspace from growing Chinese threats.
On the 23rd of January, China sent “39 warplanes” into Taiwan’s air defense zone. This was the second-largest incursion by China ever recorded. On Monday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense expressed gratitude to the U.S. and stated that the “arms sales” would “strengthen their defense capabilities and maintain regional stability and peace.”
According to Reuters, Taiwan’s fighters flew into the sky to repel the Chinese aircraft. “Air defense missiles were deployed in order to’monitor’ the activities,” according to the report.
The outlet stated that Taiwan had been watching closely the Ukraine crisis and was nervous that China might try to exploit it to move on the Island.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin declared war against Ukraine Wednesday. He called the unprovoked attack a military operation to de-Militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.