Chinese military aircraft fly close to Taiwan, island’s defence ministry says

H-6 bomber, early warning and control plane part of long-haul exercise that bypassed island’s southern tip en route to western Pacific, Taipei says

Taiwan’s military will remain on high alert over Lunar New Year holiday, ministry says

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A KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft was among the PLA military planes that staged an exercise close to Taiwan on Thursday. Photo: Weibo

Published: 6:30pm, 23 Jan 2020Updated: 2:33pm, 17 Feb 2020

A group of military aircraft from mainland China flew close to the southernmost tip of Taiwan on Thursday, just a week after President Tsai Ing-wen angered Beijing by saying the island was an independent country.

According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, the formation, which included a KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft and an H-6 bomber, passed through the Bashi Channel near Taiwan’s Orchid Island en route to the western Pacific Ocean.

It did not say how many aircraft were involved but said they had taken off from different airbases in southern China.

“They returned to their airbases from their morning flight path after a long-haul exercise,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry urged the public not to be alarmed by the aircraft’s presence, saying it constantly monitored the activities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), both in the air and at sea.

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