Taiwan says 25 Chinese planes, 3 ships sent toward island

China sent 25 warplanes and three warships toward Taiwan on Wednesday morning the islands Defence Ministry said as tensions remain high between Beijing and Taipeis main backer WashingtonThe ministry said 19 of those planes crossed into Taiwans air defence identification zone while the ships were continuing to operate in the Taiwan Strait It said Taiwan responded by scrambling fighters dispatching ships and activating coastal missile defence systems to closely monitor and respondChina stages such incursions on a neardaily basis part of what are termed gray zone tactics aimed at intimidation and wearing down Taiwans equipment exhausting its personnel and degrading public morale Those also include cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns along with a relentless drive to deprive Taiwan of diplomatic alliesTaiwan has responded by upgrading its fleet of F16 fighter jets and ordering 66 more of the planes from the US while purchasing a range of other weaponry and extending its mandatory term of military service for all males from four months to one yearAlso Read Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to attend G20 FMs meet in IndiaRelations between Beijing and Washington Taiwans primary ally and source of defensive weaponry have spiralled over Chinas actions toward the island trade technology and the South China SeaUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing last month after the US shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the US east coast drawing furious protests from ChinaChina claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary and has been rapidly expanding its military to meet that challenge should it ariseIn memos and testimony top US officers have called for heightened preparations saying China sees a shrinking window for action and may move on Taiwan within a few yearsChina says it prefers peaceful unification between the sides but the Taiwanese public overwhelmingly favours the current state of defacto independenceWednesdays incursions were relatively modest by recent standards During Chinas National Day weekend in 2021 Beijing dispatched 149 military aircraft southwest of Taiwan in strike group formationsIn August in response to a trip to Taiwan by thenUS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi China staged war games surrounding the island simulating a blockade and fired missiles over it into the Pacific OceanAlong with ordering new hardware from the US Taiwanese President Tsai Ingwen has been pushing for a revitalisation of the domestic defence industry including producing conventionally powered submarinesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever