Taiwan Coast Guard personnel work on a ship off the coast of Nangan Town in the Matsu Islands on October 15, 2024, the second day of China’s “United Sword-2024B” military exercise around Taiwan.
Daniel Tsang | AFP | Getty Images
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday it had spotted 35 Chinese military aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, flying to southern Taiwan to prepare for exercises in the Pacific, the second consecutive day it reported such activity.
Despite strong opposition from the Taipei government, China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory and regularly sends troops into the skies and waters near Taiwan as it seeks to enforce its claims.
China’s Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the mission, according to reports on Tuesday, days before the U.S. presidential election.
The United States is legally obliged to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and its arms sales to Taipei, including a $2 billion missile system announced last month, have angered Beijing.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it spotted 37 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets, nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and drones, starting at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Sunday.
Thirty-five of the aircraft flew to Taiwan’s southwest, south and southeast into the Western Pacific for long-range training, the Defense Ministry said, adding that it had sent its own troops for surveillance.
On Saturday, the Defense Ministry said China conducted another “joint readiness patrol” with warships and aircraft near Taiwan.
China held major military drills around Taiwan last month that it said were a warning against “separatist behavior”, drawing condemnation from the Taiwanese and U.S. governments.
Beijing strongly dislikes Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, calling him a “separatist”. He said that only the people of Taiwan can decide their own future and has repeatedly proposed talks with Beijing, but was rejected.
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