At least 16 Chinese aircraft were spotted in Taiwan’s air defence zone on Sunday after China sent a record number of warplanes to Taiwan on two consecutive days.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said late Sunday that, during the daytime, 16 Chinese warplanes entering Taiwan’s south-western Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) included eight J-16 fighter jets, four Su-30 fighters, two Yun-8 and two KJ-500 aircraft.
The ministry said the Taiwan Air Force had issued radio warnings and its air defence missile systems were activated to monitor the activity.
Sunday's incursion by China followed Friday's 38 sorties and Saturday's 39, representing record-high numbers.
Taiwan's defence ministry began to release reports of daily sorties by Chinese warplanes on its official website in September 2020.
Regarding China's deployment of a record number of military aircraft to Taiwan's ADIZ, Shu Hsiao-huang of the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research, told state-run Central News Agency that the People's Liberation Army was testing its joint combat and communication capabilities.
'International trouble-maker'
Wang Ting-yu, a lawmaker of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the parliament's Foreign and National Defence Committee, said on Sunday on his Facebook page that China, an international trouble-maker, prodded neighbouring countries to celebrate its National Day, which was on Friday.
Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Saturday condemned Beijing, saying China's recently strengthened incursions are certainly threatening.
Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the self-governing democratic island part of its territory.
