Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that Chinese warplanes and warships started the first “combat patrol” around the island for the New Year. The military exercise comes after Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te reaffirmed his openness to talking with Beijing.
China, which considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, regularly sends military forces close to the island, conducting joint “combat readiness patrols” several times a month. On Thursday, Taiwan spotted 22 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets, taking part in the patrol with Chinese warships. The aircraft flew in airspace surrounding Taiwan, including the north, west, southwest, and east. Taiwanese forces were deployed to monitor the activity.
While Taiwan’s Defence Ministry remained vigilant, China’s Defence Ministry did not immediately comment. Lai, who has called for talks with Beijing, has been consistently rebuffed by China, which labels him a “separatist.”
In a different report, the Chinese Eastern Theatre Command released its New Year’s video, depicting the military power it has by its side along the Taiwan Strait. The New Year’s video contains warships and warplanes along with the pictures of the fighter jet passing in front of the US P-8 Poseidon aircraft. A Foreign Minister for Taiwan, Lin Chia-lung, denounced this video. He condemned the video as psychological warfare on the side of Taiwan by China and urged that only the Taiwanese people can define their own future.
