Taiwan calls on China to halt military intimidation

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry called on China to cease what it characterized as intimidation tactics by its ships and planes. China’s ongoing military presence near Taiwan has been a rising concern for the self-governed island chain. China sees Taiwan as part of its own territory.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday said that 53 Chinese warplanes were cutting through the skies around its borders. Nearly two dozen of them crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwanese airspace, the ministry said. More than a dozen Chinese naval vessels were also in the waters around Taiwan during the same time window, Taipei said. Taiwanese jets and air defenses scrambled into action to defend the island if necessary, the defense ministry said.

What does China have to say about this? Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday said that Taiwan events were internal Chinese matters. But she did warn the United States against infringing on China’s territorial sovereignty on behalf of Taiwan.

What is the United States’ position? The United States formally observes a one-China policy but carries out unofficial relations under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, and supplies defensive weapons to support Taiwan’s security, according to the Congressional Research Service.