In a 24-hour show.. Taiwan monitors 39 planes and 3 Chinese ships near its borders

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said that the Chinese army sent 39 aircraft and 3 ships towards the country in a show of force directed at the island that lasted 24 hours (from yesterday morning, Wednesday, until this morning), in a new indication of the escalation of tension between them.

The Chinese aircraft - according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense - crossed the middle of the Taiwan Strait, and flew to the southwest of the island and then to the southeastern side.

Among the aircraft are 21 J-16 fighters, 4 H-6 bombers and 2 early warning aircraft.

Taiwan has put the air force on alert since China began intensifying its air and sea sorties near the Taiwanese border.

And Taiwan announced on December 13 that a record number of Chinese bombers with nuclear capabilities had penetrated the island's air defense zone, days after Beijing banned the entry of any additional Taiwanese imports.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said at the time that 21 aircraft entered the "identification zone for air defense purposes" during the last 24 hours, including 18 long-range "H-6" bombers with nuclear capabilities, which represents the largest daily sortie for "H-6" bombers. Since Taipei began issuing data on the breaches in September 2020.

So far this month, Beijing has dispatched 339 military aircraft and 82 naval vessels around Taiwan.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft to Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone.

Beijing imposed an embargo on Taiwanese imports this month, which Taiwan Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said violated World Trade Organization rules by China issuing its own laws and interfering with trade through administrative means.