Taipei/Beijing – In a statement, the Taiwanese Defence Ministry said it has issued a warning to Chinese aircraft intruding into the Taiwanese airspace. Friday marked the 72nd foundation day of the ruling Communist Party of China. Against this background, as many as 25 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) planes intruded into the Taiwanese airspace to increase the pressure on Taiwan. Earlier, on June 15, 28 Chinese planes had invaded the Taiwanese Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The PLA began infiltrating into the Taiwanese airspace on Friday morning, according to the Taiwan Defense Ministry. The intruding aircrafts included Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, J-16 fighter jets (18), SU-30 jets (4) and two H-6 bombers. This is the third major intrusion in the last five months. Taiwan has responded firmly to Friday’s incursion by issuing a warning to Chinese jets and simultaneously activating their air defence missile system.
The defence ministry informed that after 28 planes were sent in June, 24 Chinese planes entered Taiwanese ADIZ on September 23. In September, a total of 117 PLA planes invaded Taiwanese airspace. These consistent intrusions are seen as part of China’s “grey zone warfare” against Taiwan. China has been using this since the decade after 2010. Its primary purpose is to harass Taiwanese defence forces and keep them under constant pressure.
Meanwhile, it has come to light that China has criticised the Taiwanese Foreign Minister before the intrusions. The words in a poem by Mao, the founder of the Communist Party, were used for this. A statement issued by the Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office stated Taiwanese Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, is like flies’ humming, with a burst of shrilling and a fit of sobbing.’ The flies referred to here are mentioned in Mao’s poem ‘The River All Red’. In response, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said the criticism was not worth commenting on.
Next week, French Senator Alain Richard is scheduled to visit Taiwan with a delegation. The delegation has been welcomed by the Taiwanese foreign ministry and criticised by Chinese media as a ‘foolish move’.
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