US urges China to stop ‘provocative’ Taiwan activities after PLA’s latest record flyover
- Record number of planes enter island’s air defence zone on successive days
- Flights seen as a warning to President Tsai Ing-wen ahead of October 10, the 110th anniversary of the Republic of China
The US said it is “very concerned” after China sent a record number of warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone for two consecutive days, and said its commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid”.
State Department spokesman Ned Price warned China’s “provocative military activity near Taiwan” was “destabilising, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability”.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan,” he said.
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Taiwan denounces mainland China for ‘over the top’ flights into island’s air defence zone
A total of 20 PLA warplanes, 14 J-16 strike fighters, four Su-30 fighter jets and two Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, were observed in the southwest of Taiwan’s ADIZ during daylight hours on Saturday, according to Taiwan’s defence ministry.
That was followed by a second sortie when another 19 PLA warplanes – including 12 J-16, 6 Su-30 and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft – were reported entering Taiwan’s ADIZ on Saturday night.
In response, Taiwan’s air force scrambled fighter jets, issued radio warnings and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor the activity, the ministry said.
China’s show of force on Saturday was the largest so far, setting a new record after it sent 38 warplanes to the same area the previous day, as Beijing celebrated the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The latest flyovers come as tensions across the Taiwan Strait continue to escalate, making it one of the most dangerous flashpoints between mainland China and the US.
“We have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defence capability, and we will maintain our commitments as outlined in the Three Communiqués, the Taiwan Relations Act, and the Six Assurances,” Price said in the statement.
“The US commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region. We will continue to stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security and values and deepen our ties with democratic Taiwan,” he said.
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US delegation visits Taiwan as Beijing warns of military action against the island
Speaking in Washington on Friday, US deputy defence secretary Kathleen Hicks tamped down concerns about China’s potential invasion of the island, saying the US had been watching the situation carefully “day to day”.
“We have a significant amount of capability forward in the region to tamp down any such potential,” Hicks said. “We have good relations, of course, with Taiwan. We have commitments to Taiwan that are enduring since the 1970s.”
The defence ministry in Beijing did not respond to an inquiry from the Post on Sunday.
Earlier, Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu denounced the PLA incursions as “threatening”.
“Of course. It’s strange the PRC doesn’t bother faking excuses any more,” Wu wrote on Twitter about Friday’s incursions, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China, which was founded in Beijing in 1949.
