Taiwan authorities said they detected 37 Chinese planes and drones, including fighter jets, near the island on Sunday as part of training flights.longue distance” led by Beijing. The Chinese aircraft were spotted from 9 a.m. local time (1 a.m. GMT) and 35 of them crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates China from Taiwan, entering space Taiwanese air force, the Defense Ministry said The Taiwanese military deployed aircraft, ships and land-based missile systems in response, the ministry said.
The exercise came a day after Taiwan said it detected a “joint combat readiness patrol” of the Chinese military around the island, including fighter jets and warships. Taiwan had spotted 27 planes and six Chinese warships in the 24 hours up to 6 a.m. Sunday, according to the ministry.
China, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to place the island under its control, has intensified its military pressure around the island recently. Last month, Beijing held large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, which were condemned by Taipei and its main ally, Washington. The Chinese military had already carried out long-distance training flights in late September, the Taiwanese ministry previously said. During these maneuvers, Beijing fired an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean.
