Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China had sent a 26-plane fighter patrol near the island, after Beijing announced it would track down and punish “persistent” Taiwan independence supporters wherever they are.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced that as of 7:00 a.m. local time, it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, flying near northern, central and southern Taiwan, conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” with Chinese warships.
China’s Ministry of Defense has not yet responded to a request for comment.
A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said at a press conference that the government has the legal right to protect the country’s territorial integrity.
He backed new guidelines for punishing what Beijing sees as separatism, which were announced last week.
China considers the democratically governed Taiwan to be its territory and does not hide its distaste for Taiwanese President Lai Ching Teo, whom it considers a “separatist”.
Last week, China threatened to execute “stubborn” separatists advocating Taiwan independence in extreme cases.
Photo: the Daily Guardian
