Taiwan reports rise in Chinese military activity as US election nears

 

FILE – A Taiwanese F-16 fighter jet flies next to a Chinese H-6 bomber, top, in Taiwan's airspace, in this handout photo taken and released Feb. 10, 2020, by Taiwan's defense ministry.

Taipei, Taiwan —

Taiwan\’s defense ministry said Sunday it had spotted 35 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and bombers, flying to the island\’s south on the way to exercises in the Pacific, a second day in a row it has reported such activities.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory despite the strong objections of the government in Taipei, regularly sends its military in the skies and waters near the island seeking to enforce its sovereignty claims.

China\’s defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the missions, reported just days before Tuesday\’s U.S. presidential election.

The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and its arms sales to Taipei, including a $2 billion missile system announced last month, which infuriated Beijing.

Taiwan\’s defense ministry said that from 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) Sunday it had detected 37 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and drones.

Of those, 35 aircraft flew to Taiwan\’s southwest, south and southeast into the Western Pacific to carry out long-range training, the ministry said, adding it had sent its own forces to keep watch.

On Saturday, the ministry said China had carried out another "joint combat readiness patrol" with warships and aircraft near Taiwan.

China last month held large war games around Taiwan it said were a warning to "separatist acts," drawing condemnation from the Taiwanese and U.S. governments.

Beijing strongly dislikes Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, saying he is a "separatist." He says only Taiwan\’s people can decide their future and has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing but been rebuffed.

• 

  Reuters
  

  Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

  
  Subscribe

 

By：VOA