After carrying out a 3-day series of military drills near Taiwan, Beijing informed Taipei that a no-fly zone will be implemented north of Taiwan the following week, NHK World reported, citing Taiwan’s transportation ministry on Tuesday.
China reportedly warned Taiwan’s northern flight information zone on Tuesday of the upcoming airspace closure, to conduct aerospace activities in the area. China said the duration would be five hours per day from 16-18 April. However, it will be reduced to about half an hour on only April 16, following the complaint lodged by Taiwan’s ministry.
The transportation ministry cautioned that the shutdown was inappropriate and would provide significant and unnecessary safety hazards in its complaint against China.
China intends to block airspace over the high seas north of Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s defence minister, who stated that defence officials will closely monitor Beijing’s aerospace actions, which may include a potential satellite launch, according to NHK World.
As tensions between Taiwan and China continue to escalate, Taiwan recently tracked the People’s Liberation Army’s 91 aircraft and 12 naval ships from 6 am on Monday ( 10 April) to Tuesday (11 April ).
In an official release, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry stated, “91 PLA aircraft and 12 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. 54 of the detected aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest and southeast ADIZ.”
“Yesterday, China completed the third day of live-fire drills but still, there are 8 vessels that are operating in the waters surrounding Taiwan,” Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said.
The island country’s armed forces were monitoring the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond in the event of an emergency.
Chinese fighter jets and warships conducted simulated strikes on Taiwan during the weekend. Beijing’s actions sparked protests in Taiwan. Beijing’s drills on Monday are expected to include live-fire exercises off of China’s Fujian province, located only about 80km (50 miles) south of Taiwan’s Matsu islands, Al Jazeera reported.
China began three-day military drills around Taiwan called “Joint Sword” after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.