Taiwan's defense ministry said 12 Chinese aircraft and five Chinese ships were detected operating around Taiwan on Sunday, including five aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, as Beijing continued military activities near the island.
China has been carrying out drills near Taiwan, which it claims as Chinese territory despite strong objections from the government in Taipei, since earlier this month following a visit to the island by US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi.
During the nearly weeklong maneuvers that followed Pelosi's visit, China sailed ships and flew aircraft regularly across the median line, claiming the de facto boundary did not exist, fired missiles over Taiwan itself, and challenged established norms by firing missiles into Japan's exclusive economic zone.
“I think we are in for a risky period of testing boundaries and finding out who can achieve escalatory dominance across the diplomatic, military and economic domains,” said David Chen, an analyst with CENTRA Technology, a US-based consulting firm.
Pelosi was the highest-level member of the US government to visit Taiwan in 25 years, and her visit came at a particularly sensitive time, as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to seek a third five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party later this year.
Under Xi, China has been increasingly forceful in declaring that Taiwan must be brought under its control — by force if necessary — and US military officials have said that Beijing may seek a military solution within the next few years.
Tensions were already high, with China conducting regular military flights near Taiwan and the US routinely sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait to emphasize they are international waters.
China accuses the US of encouraging the island’s independence through the sale of weapons and engagement between US politicians and the island’s government.
