Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense and Air Force Command said Thursday (Sept. 17) that two PLA Air Force Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone on Wednesday (Sept. 16), and the Taiwan Air Force immediately broadcasted the aircraft away and used air power to closely monitor them.
According to information provided by the Taiwan Air Force Command, two Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft were concentrated in the southwest side of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), and the Taiwan Air Force kept track of the movements of the Chinese military aircraft and issued verbal radio warnings to accompany the air force to disperse them.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said Wednesday that the PLA’s combat training activities were necessary to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and the need to safeguard national sovereignty.
The Chinese Communist Party has intensified its military operations in the Taiwan Strait as a means of intimidating Taiwan amid growing tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. Since August 10, there have been several overflights of the Air Identification Zone (AIZ) by CCP military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, and on September 14 and 15, the CCP conducted a highly targeted mock test firing of several Dongfeng-11 missiles.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has always responded to these military provocations with “full control and appropriate response.
According to the Central News Agency, Taiwan’s Vice Minister of Defense Chang Zhe-ping pointed out that the Chinese military’s entry into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to conduct military exercises has had a serious impact on Taiwan’s air defense and poses a great threat to regional stability and peace, and that these military actions are occurring on international air routes, which will also affect the safety of international civil aviation flights.
Chang called for restraint on the part of the PLA, as the repeated harassment has caused resentment among the people of Taiwan. He advised Beijing to stop being a “troublemaker,” saying that China should contribute to regional peace and stability.
Chang emphasized that he was not clear about the Chinese Communist Party’s intentions in its various military actions over the past month, but he said never to underestimate the determination of Taiwan’s military to protect its homeland, nor to ignore the strong will of the Taiwanese people to ensure freedom and democracy; Taiwan’s military is absolutely confident and capable of working with the Taiwanese people to safeguard national security.
U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific David Stark said on Tuesday that the United States will continue to emphasize its presence in the Asia-Pacific region with concrete actions and will strongly discourage such unwelcome and unhelpful military advances by China.
According to some analysts, the recent frequent presence of Chinese military aircraft in Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is related to Deputy Secretary of State Keith Krach’s visit to Taiwan this Thursday to attend a memorial service for former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui on September 19.
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