US-Taiwan Closeness Prompts Chinese Military Aircraft to Conduct Show of Force in Taiwan Strait

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As tensions between the US and China escalate, China has repeatedly conducted military demonstrations following the close cooperation between the United States and Taiwan.

According to Taiwanese media on the 31st, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense disclosed that a Yun (運·Y)-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) the previous day. At that time, urgent responses by Taiwanese Air Force aircraft, warning broadcasts, and radar tracking by ground-based air defense missile units took place, creating a tense situation.

Chinese military aircraft have been entering Taiwan's ADIZ daily. After the US and Taiwan publicly signed a memorandum of understanding on coast guard cooperation, on the 26th, 20 aircraft appeared, and following the arrival of Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau, and the US Ambassador to Palau in Taiwan, 10 aircraft appeared in Taiwan's ADIZ on the 29th.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said the previous day, "Chinese military aircraft engaged in deliberate training maneuvers," adding, "Taiwan's military will review the enemy's expected range and seek countermeasures."

Researcher Jejung from Taiwan's National Policy Research Foundation analyzed, "Recent Chinese military flights are not intense two-way circling flights typical of protests," but "they are consistent with previous actions when China expressed dissatisfaction with US-China relations or US-Taiwan relations progress by exerting pressure through large-scale military demonstrations against Taiwan."

Taiwan's Air Force and air defense missile units are also tracking Chinese military aircraft and have entered a state of emergency alert, heightening military tensions between China and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, John Hennessey-Niland, the US Ambassador to Palau who visited Taiwan for the first time since the US severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979, said the previous day, "The relationship between the United States and Taiwan is often described as 'true friends, true progress,'" adding, "This can also apply to cooperation among the United States, Taiwan, and Palau."