Taiwan reports presence of 41 Chinese military aircraft near island amid heightened tensions – Firstpost

On Saturday, the Taipei Defense Ministry said it had detected 41 Chinese military aircraft and seven military ships operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours before 6 a.m. (2200 GMT). “32 planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to a line bisecting the 180-kilometer (110-mile) waterway that separates Taiwan from China.
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Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Saturday it detected 41 Chinese military planes around the island in 24 hours, a day after Beijing said “diehard” supporters of Taiwan independence risked the death penalty.

China claims democratic, autonomous Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring it under Beijing's control.

It has stepped up pressure on Taipei in recent years and held military exercises around the island after the inauguration last month of new Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te.

On Saturday, the Taipei Defense Ministry said it had detected 41 Chinese military aircraft and seven military ships operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours before 6 a.m. (2200 GMT).

“32 planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to a line bisecting the 180-kilometer (110-mile) waterway that separates Taiwan from China.

The ministry added that it had “monitored the situation and responded accordingly”.

The latest incursion came after China issued judicial guidelines on Friday providing for the death penalty for “particularly serious” cases of “diehard” supporters of Taiwanese independence, state media reported.

On May 25, Taiwan detected 62 Chinese military aircraft around the island in 24 hours, the highest single-day total this year, as China held military exercises after Lai's inauguration, which Beijing considers as a “dangerous separatist”.