A Navy miniature is seen in front of displayed Chinese and Taiwanese flags in this illustration taken, April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
REUTERS | Published December 8, 2024
TAIPEI, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Sunday that China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the island in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect will be a new round of war games.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by visits by President Lai Ching-te to Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam as part of a Pacific tour. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night.
Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year.
In its daily morning report on Chinese military activities, Taiwan’s defence ministry said there were 14 Chinese warships operating nearby, up from the eight it reported the previous day.
The ministry said it had detected four Chinese balloons flying over the Taiwan Strait, one of which had brushed the top of the island.
Weather will likely be a factor in China’s decision on any war games, security sources say. Weather in the strait has been poor this weekend.
China’s defence ministry did not answer calls to its news office seeking comment outside of office hours on Sunday.
But in a strongly worded commentary on its WeChat account on Sunday, China’s Ministry of State Security said Lai’s efforts to “use arms to seek independence” and cosy up to the United States were doomed to fail.
Taiwan’s government is putting on a “false display of power” while the U.S. government is “acting in cahoots with gangsters and jackals” in supporting Taiwan, it said.
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SOURCE: www.reuters.com
RELATED: Taiwan reports 14 Chinese warships and 4 balloons near the island
China has sent 14 warships, seven military aircraft and four balloons near Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, as Beijing ramps up pressure on the island it claims as its own
ABC NEWS | Published December 8, 2024
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China sent 14 warships, seven military aircraft and four balloons near Taiwan between Saturday and Sunday, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, as Beijing ramps up pressure on the island it claims as its own.
China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the island in response to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent visit to Pacific allies, including U.S. stops in Hawaii and Guam.
China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people, as its own territory, and bristles at other countries’ formal exchanges with Taiwan. The United States, like most countries, doesn’t recognize Taiwan as a country but is its main unofficial backer and sells it arms.
The Chinese government has pledged to annex Taiwan, through military force if necessary, and sends ships and military planes near the island almost daily.
The 14 warships, seven military planes and four balloons were reported over 24 hours between 6 a.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. The ministry said six of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial demarcation zone between Taiwan and China.
One of the balloons brushed over the island’s northern tip, according to the ministry.
Lai on Friday called on China to refrain from threats and said Beijing’s military exercises “will not be able to win the respect” of neighboring countries.
Lai’s first overseas trip since taking office in May included visits to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three of the 12 countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The rest of the world, including the U.S., has official ties with China.
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SOURCE: www.abcnews.go.com
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