Thirty Chinese military aircraft detected around Taiwan in 24 hours, Taipei announces. Xi Jinping evokes an “insurmountable red line” on the phone with Joe Biden

Thirty Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan in 24 hours, 20 of which entered the air defense identification zone, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday, one of the most significant developments this year in a strategy of intimidation of China, reports AFP.

Taiwan is an autonomous island that Beijing claims as part of Chinese territory that it wants to take control of one day, by force if necessary.

Twenty of the 30 planes entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the ministry said.

Taiwan on March 22 detected 36 warplanes around the island in 24 hours – this year’s record.

The intensification of incursions by Chinese aircraft is part, according to some experts, of a strategy called the “gray zone”, actions of intimidation that do not amount to actual acts of war.

“RED LINE NOT TO BE CROSSED”

These actions intensified after the election in 2016 of Tsai Ing-wen as president, who considered Taiwan to be “already independent” de facto, a red line for Beijing.

Tsai Ing-wen is due to hand over the post on May 20 to her current vice president, Lai Ching-te, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), like her.

Lai Ching-te, who won a presidential election on January 13, also takes a hard line against Beijing.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden called for “peace and stability” in the area of ​​the island, in a telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

“The Taiwan issue is the first uncrossable red line in Sino-American relations,” Xi Jinping warned Joe Biden, according to the official Chinese news agency, New China.

The United States does not demand Taiwan’s independence, but provides it with military support and opposes any change – by force – of the status quo.

The above article is for your personal information only. If you represent a media institution or a company and want an agreement to republish our articles, please send us an email at [email protected].