On September 7, 2022, in Pingtung County, Taiwan, Taiwanese soldiers fired artillery shells during a 2-day live-fire exercise amid increasing military threats from China. , while strengthening ties with countries like Japan, Britain, Canada and India, Beijing has vowed to unify Taiwan but has not ruled out the use of force. (Photography: Zeng Shouyi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Taiwan’s military said on Sunday it would discuss with the United States how to use Taipei funds from a $95 billion legislative plan to provide aid mainly to Ukraine and Israel, as Chinese warplanes once again approached the island.
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, the United States remains Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier.
Democratic-ruled Taiwan faces growing military pressure from China, which considers the island its own territory. The Taiwanese government denies these claims.
The Department of Defense expressed its gratitude to the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the package on Saturday, saying it demonstrated the United States’ “rock-solid” support for Taiwan.
The Ministry of National Defense added that it “will coordinate relevant budget purposes with the United States through existing communication mechanisms, and strive to strengthen combat readiness capabilities and ensure national security and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Since 2022, Taiwan has complained about delays in the delivery of U.S. weapons such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles as manufacturers focused on supplying Ukraine to help the country fight invading Russian forces.
Fourteen Chinese military aircraft flew across the sensitive midline of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday morning, underscoring the pressure Taiwan faces from China.
The central line used to be the unofficial border between the two countries and was not crossed by troops from either side, but the Chinese air force now regularly sends aircraft over it. China says it does not recognize the existence of this line.
Some Chinese aircraft were as close as 40 nautical miles (70 kilometers) to Taiwan’s northern and southern regions on Saturday, but were still outside the contiguous zone and 24 nautical miles off Taiwan’s coast, according to maps provided by Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
Taiwan’s territorial waters are 12 nautical miles from its coast. Taiwan has previously reported that Chinese military aircraft were approaching but did not enter the contiguous zone.
Wang Dingyu, a senior lawmaker from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and a member of the National Assembly’s Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, said Taiwan’s armed forces were able to respond with tracking using their own aircraft and land-based missile systems.
“But what the Chinese Communist Party has done is provocative and very irresponsible,” he said on social media.
On Saturday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said China was once again conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” with Chinese warships and fighter jets around Taiwan.
China’s Defense Ministry did not return calls seeking comment outside office hours on Sunday.
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