Unprecedented foray of Chinese military planes at the gates of Taiwan
Two Chinese J-10 fighters and a tanker plane over Beijing on October 1, 2019 (illustrative image).
AFP - WANG ZHAO
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
On Tuesday April 15, China sent nearly thirty military aircraft of its air force to the gates of Taiwan, a democratic archipelago of 24 million inhabitants that it claims.
The maneuver follows an unprecedented declaration by G7 countries defending "stability in the Taiwan Strait".
An affront to Beijing, which does not exclude one day from using force to annex the archipelago.
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With our correspondent in Taiwan,
Adrien Simorre
This is a
new record
since the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense made this type of maneuver public.
Twenty-eight Chinese aircraft, including twenty fighter planes, entered the Taiwanese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) yesterday, Tuesday, June 15.
The maneuver comes two days after the publication of a historic communiqué from the G7 countries, stressing the importance of "
peace
" and "
stability
" in the Taiwan Strait.
A declaration visibly intolerable for Beijing, which does not hide its intention to one day annex
the archipelago
and its 24 million inhabitants.
"
Interference
"
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the declaration of the seven powers, denouncing an "
interference
".
These Chinese incursions have become almost daily since the re-election of a president firmly opposed to Chinese annexation in January 2020.
According to the Taiwanese government, Beijing uses this “gray area” tactic to intimidate Taiwanese citizens, but also Taiwanese supporters internationally.
Unusually yesterday, several patrol planes also
continued on their way
past the east coast of Taiwan.
►
To read also: Taiwan: a visit by American senators which could provoke the ire of Beijing
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Taiwan
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Defense
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