Tensions across the Strait have increased since the inauguration on May 20 of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. At the end of May, Beijing carried out two days of major military maneuvers.
:quality(50)/2023/07/06/64a68815cd1a7_placeholder-36b69ec8.png)
Published
Reading time: 1 min
:quality(50)/2024/06/04/000-34tn8y2-665eb21484483837205053.jpg)
“We successively detected a total of 23 planes, of which 16 crossed the center line”, declared the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense on Tuesday June 4, referring to the line dividing the Taiwan Strait which separates the island from the mainland. The press release from the Taiwanese ministry details the types of aircraft: fighter planes, transport planes, but also drones. This announcement comes after multiple intrusions that have occurred since the inauguration in Taipei of new President Lai Ching-te.
The military deployment comes after China sent 19 aircraft, eight warships and four coast guard vessels around Taiwan in a 24-hour period ending Tuesday, according to Taiwanese authorities. At the end of May, Beijing already carried out two days of major military maneuvers, mobilizing ships and military planes loaded with live ammunition, claiming that it was a “severe punishment” against the “separatists”.
China considers the autonomously governed island of Taiwan to be part of its territory and says it is ready to reconquer it by force if necessary. Tensions across the Strait have increased since the inauguration on May 20 of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. Beijing has assured that it will maintain military pressure on Taiwan as long as “provocations in favor of independence” of the autonomous island will continue.
