PLA's Show of Force in Response to US Deputy Secretary's Visit to Taiwan

Four Chinese Military Aircraft Approached Taiwan Simultaneously on the Morning of the 18th
Chinese Navy Conducts Military Drills in the East China Sea

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese military authorities protested the visit of Keith Krach, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, to Taiwan by conducting a show of force in the Taiwan Strait.

According to Taiwan Liberty Times on the 18th, from around 7 a.m. local time, within an hour, Chinese military aircraft simultaneously approached Taiwan from the southwest, west, north, and northwest airspace.

In response, Taiwanese Air Force fighter jets issued warnings via radio communication 22 times to urge the Chinese aircraft to leave.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Liberty Times reported that unlike usual when Taiwanese fighter jets urge Chinese military aircraft to leave, this time they used the unusual warning phrase "You have approached our airspace."

This suggests that the Chinese military aircraft approached much closer to the island of Taiwan than during previous shows of force.

Deputy Secretary Krach is scheduled to meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on the same day.

On the day before Krach’s arrival, two Chinese military 'Yun (運, Y)-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft' entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone.

Additionally, the Chinese military reportedly began military exercises in the East China Sea from that day.

According to China’s Global Times and others, the Maritime Safety Administration of Zhejiang Province banned ship traffic in parts of the East China Sea for 10 hours starting at 8 a.m. local time the previous day, citing military exercises.

The Chinese military’s East China Sea exercises are the second this month, following drills near Zhejiang Province around the 9th.

On the 16th, the Chinese military also sent warships close to Taiwan.

According to Taiwan Central News Agency, on the evening of the 16th, the Taiwanese military detected a Chinese warship near Hualien, approximately 72.2 km from Taiwan. The warship sailed from north to south and left Taiwanese surveillance early on the 17th, entering the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.

Zhang Chunhui, spokesperson for China’s Eastern Theater Command, stated regarding the Chinese military’s patrol in the Taiwan Strait that "Taiwan and its affiliated islands are inseparable parts of Chinese territory," and that the actions were "necessary to safeguard the stable situation in the Taiwan Strait and national sovereignty," expressing a hardline stance.

Last month on the 10th, prior to the meeting between U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, China also conducted a show of force by sending fighter jets to cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan.