The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense urged China on Monday to stop its "destructive and unilateral behavior" following reports of a significant increase in Chinese military activities near the island, warning that such actions could lead to a substantial rise in tensions. In recent years, China, which considers the democratically governed Taiwan part of its territory, has conducted regular military exercises around the island as part of its effort to assert its sovereign claims and pressure Taipei.
The ministry reported that since Sunday, it had detected 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number described as "high in recent times." Its map of Chinese activities over the past 24 hours showed fighter jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial barrier between the two sides until China began to cross it regularly about a year ago. Other aircraft flew south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel, which separates the island from the Philippines.
In a statement, the ministry noted that China's activities over the past day posed "serious challenges" to security in the strait and at the regional level. It added that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are shared responsibilities of all parties in the region. The ministry stated, "We call on the Beijing authorities to take responsibility and immediately cease such destructive unilateral actions."
The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A regional security official told Reuters that in addition to the air force incursions near Taiwan over the weekend, China also sent over 100 naval vessels for exercises in the area last week, including in the strategically important South China Sea and off the northeastern coast of Taiwan. The official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, indicated that the activity exerts pressure on everyone in the region and described the scale of the naval exercises as "the largest in years."
