Formosa Strait Tension: Beijing Sends 29 Warplanes To Taiwan Air Defense Zone

"The latest large-scale exercise by the People's Liberation Army shows that

's authoritarian military threat is more serious than ever. But there is no way Taiwan will give in and hand over its sovereignty and democracy to the big bully."

This is how Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded on Twitter after 29 Chinese warplanes flew over the air defense zone of the autonomous island that Beijing considers a breakaway province on Tuesday night.

The latest Chinese incursion included

which were flown northeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands amid the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The planes also passed near the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

In addition to the message on Twitter, from the island they sent their fighter planes as a warning to the Chinese fighters and deployed the missile systems.

That is the standard reaction whenever there is any incursion into the Taiwanese air defense zone (ADIZ), which also covers parts of mainland China, but authorities on the island do not report incursions until the planes have crossed their border. side of the median line of 180 kilometers that separates both territories.

While the international war focus continues to be focused on the war in

, tension continues to rise in the Strait of Formosa.

A few days ago, Beijing made a great demonstration of its military potential by presenting to the world its third Type 003 aircraft carrier, baptized Fujian, the first homemade, which has advanced aircraft launch technology similar to that of its American counterparts.

The People's Liberation Army Navy aims to have six aircraft carriers by 2035, compared to the US Navy's fleet of 11 vessels.

Two days after unveiling the new warship, China also conducted anti-ballistic missile tests.

The third largest air raid

The new incursion near Taiwan, a regular occurrence almost every week, is the third largest this year.

In late May, a week after President

first openly said the United States will defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China, Beijing took 30 fighter jets out for a walk.

In 2021 there was a record 969 raids, more than double the 380 in 2020. This year the figure is already around 500.

Mainland China and Taiwan separated in 1949 at the end of the civil war, when the Kuomintang was defeated by Communist Party troops and fled to Taipei.

The Beijing government, from the time of Mao Zedong to the current one with

at the helm, has always considered the island as part of China and has never ruled out the use of force for reunification.

This was stated a couple of weeks ago by Wei Fenghe, Chinese Foreign Minister.

"

no matter the cost if Taiwan declares its independence," he said in a meeting with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, on the sidelines of a regional security summit in Singapore.

Wei warned that Beijing "would

."

And Austin said the world's second-largest power was becoming "more coercive" in its territorial claims and that Washington was committed to helping its Indo-Pacific allies defend themselves.

The latest incursion by Chinese planes comes in the week that Taiwan is negotiating with Washington, its main international sponsor and largest arms supplier,

In early June, the United States signed the fourth arms deal with the Taiwanese government - worth $120 million - since Joe Biden has been in the White House.

"This agreement will only further damage the interests of Taiwan compatriots and push them into the fire," said one of the spokesmen for the Chinese Foreign Ministry after the new arms agreement was made public.

The island with a young democracy is becoming more and more important as the main point of conflict in the new Cold War between the US and China.

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