Chinese planes, ships spotted around Taiwan

Taiwanese defense forces on Tuesday spotted 47 Chinese warplanes and a dozen Chinese ships in the waters near Taiwan, its Taipei government said. More than a dozen of the warplanes crossed the midpoint of the Taiwan straight, entering what the self-ruled state claims as its airspace. China views Taiwan as part of its territory. In response, Taiwanese forces scrambled jets and naval vessels and activated their air defenses, the Taipei government said.

What does China have to say about this? When asked about the incident, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning on Tuesday said that military activities around Taiwan were internal Chinese matters. Beijing would defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity, she said.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how Beijing recently released three Americans who were being held in captivity in China.