39 Chinese Military Planes Breach Taiwan’s Airspace in Two Sorties, Escalating Tensions
For the second consecutive day, China has flown over 30 military aircraft towards Taiwan, marking another record display of military power. Taiwan’s defence ministry reported that 39 Chinese planes entered Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in two separate sorties on Saturday, one during the day and the other at night. This followed a similar incursion on Friday, when 38 planes crossed into the area south of the self-governing island.
The Taiwanese ministry identified most of the aircraft as J-17 and SU-30 fighter jets, with 20 planes participating in the daytime mission and 19 during the night. These incursions have become a regular occurrence over the past year, but the number of planes involved in Friday and Saturday’s flights represents the largest incursions recorded since Taiwan began tracking them.
Taiwan’s Premier, Su Tseng-chang, condemned the actions, describing them as “brutal and barbarian” acts that threaten regional peace. The flights coincided with China’s National Day on Friday, adding a symbolic dimension to the show of strength. In addition, the incidents occurred amid heightened tensions over China’s accusations that Britain had sent a warship into the Taiwan Strait with “evil intentions.”
