China dispatched navy ships and warplanes, including fighter jets and bombers, to Taiwan over two days, the island’s defense ministry said on Wednesday, just days before the island’s annual military exercises aimed at protecting itself against an invasion.
Between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army dispatched 38 airplanes and 9 navy vessels around Taiwan. The military flew another 30 planes from Wednesday morning to noon, including J-10 and J-16 fighters.
32 of them crossed the Taiwan Strait’s midline, an unofficial boundary that served as a buffer between the island and the mainland. Later that day, another 23 planes flew over the midpoint.
Taiwan is set to hold its annual Han Guang exercise later this month, during which the military will conduct combat readiness training in preparation for an invasion. It will also hold the yearly Wan’an exercises, which aim to prepare residents for natural disasters and to practice evacuations in the event of an air raid.
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own land and has indicated its discontent with political activities in Taiwan in recent years by increasing the number of military jets sent toward Taiwan. It has also begun deploying navy warships and drones to circle the waters near the island in the last year.
The PLA flew H-6 bombers in a huge loop to the south of Taiwan, passing over the island before circling back toward China’s southern coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Its largest military drills in recent years were held in response to former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August of last year. It launched missiles over the island in a significant escalation, disrupting commerce channels in the Taiwan Strait and forcing planes to reroute their flights.
In response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with current US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April, the PLA conducted large-scale battle preparedness drills in the air and waters surrounding the island.
