China says military exercises near Taiwan punish ‘separatism’ support
On March 17, China conducted military exercises near Taiwan as punishment for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's ongoing promotion of "separatism," according to a stern statement from Beijing. In response, Taiwan called China a troublemaker.
China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring democratically governed Taiwan under its control, has stepped up military and political pressure against the island in recent years, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said China carried out “joint combat readiness patrols” – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – sending 54 Chinese warplanes, including J-10 jets and drones to areas near Taiwan.
It said the Chinese aircraft flew in airspace to the north, west, south-west and east of Taiwan, and that Taiwanese air and naval forces were dispatched to keep watch.
Among them, 42 planes crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line, an unofficial buffer between the two sides, the ministry said.
If the Lai administration “dares to provoke and play with fire, it will only bring about its own destruction”, a spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in the statement.
Taiwan routinely reports such military activity by China, but China’s government very rarely offers comment on them.
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