Taiwan detects record 153 Chinese military aircraft around island

Taiwan announced a record 153 Chinese military aircraft were detected around the island, according to official data released on Tuesday.

The aircraft were spotted in the 25 hours to 6:00 am on Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday), the defence ministry said in a statement, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Beijing deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard boats to encircle Taiwan on Monday, with Taiwan responding by dispatching "appropriate forces" and placing its outlying islands on heightened alert.

Taiwan condemned China's actions as "irrational and provocative", and the US called them "unwarranted".

Japan said Tuesday it had expressed its "concerns" to China over the drills, and scrambled fighter jets near its southern island of Yonaguni.

"The government is closely monitoring the related activities with great interest, and has conveyed Japan's concerns to the Chinese side," deputy chief cabinet secretary Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters.

Taiwan's foreign ministry on Tuesday urged China "not to cause trouble for no reason and become a troublemaker that undermines peace and stability".

Taiwan's defence ministry also recorded 14 Chinese navy ships in the latest 25-hour period, slightly fewer than the 17 announced Monday afternoon.

Of the aircraft spotted, 111 crossed the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait that separates mainland China and Taiwan, the figures showed.

News.Az