Yesterday, the Taiwan Defense Ministry said that 38 Chinese military aircraft flew through Taiwan’s airspace. This was a record number of violations in a single day, the administration said.

It included two waves including fighter jets and bombers. Taiwan launched fighter jets as a warning to Beijing.

strained relationship

Relations between Taiwan and China are very tense. The island, which China considers a renegade province but considers itself a sovereign country, has been complaining for more than a year of intimidation by the Chinese air force. “China deliberately engages in military aggression that harms regional peace,” said Taiwan Prime Minister Su Tsingchang.

Beijing’s show of force coincides with the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese government has yet to respond to the Taiwan accusation. Beijing said earlier that such flights are aimed at protecting Chinese sovereignty.

Last year, Taiwan reported 380 airspace violations by the People’s Republic of China for aircraft. This year, that number has so far reached 500. Two years ago already She said Chinese President Xi Jinping has said Taiwan belongs to China and has kept open the option of using “all necessary means” to annex the island. He repeated that message last July on the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party.

For decades, China has essentially turned inward, but that time now appears to be too late, reporter Schord Dean Das explained last year: