21 Chinese fighter jets enter Taiwan air defence zone as Pelosi visits island

International

oi-Prakash KL

Beijing,
Aug
03:
Taiwan’s
Defense
Ministry
on
Wednesday
said
that
China
had
sent
21
planes
flying
toward
Taiwan
as
US
House
Speaker
Nancy
Pelosi
landed
at
Songshan
airport
in
Taipei
on
Tuesday.

“21
PLA
aircraft
…
entered
#Taiwan’s
southwest
ADIZ
on
August
2,
2022,”
the
island’s
defence
ministry
said
in
a
statement
on
Twitter.

Beijing
sees
official
American
contact
with
Taiwan
as
encouragement
to
make
the
island’s
decades-old
de
facto
independence
permanent,
a
step
U.S.
leaders
say
they
don’t
support.

The
ministry
said
that
out
of
21
Chinese
aircraft,
18
of
them
are
fighter
jets.
The
rest
included
an
early
warning
plane
and
an
electronic
warfare
plane.

The
ADIZ
is
not
the
same
as
Taiwan’s
territorial
airspace
but
includes
a
far
greater
area
that
overlaps
with
part
of
China’s
own
air
defence
identification
zone
and
even
includes
some
of
the
mainland,
according
to
a
report
on
AFP.

Amid
raising
tension
with
China,
US
House
Speaker
Nancy
Pelosi
on
Tuesday
landed
in
Taipei
in
Taiwan.

Shortly
after
landing,
the
82-year-old
politician
reaffirmed
her
country’s
unwavering
commitment
to
supporting
Taiwan’s
democracy
and
said
this
trip
in
no
way
contradicts
longstanding
United
States
policy
on
the
self-governed
island.
She
said,
“Our
Congressional
delegation’s
visit
to
Taiwan
honors
America’s
unwavering
commitment
to
supporting
Taiwan’s
vibrant
Democracy.”

“Our
visit
is
part
of
our
broader
trip
to
the
Indo-Pacific
–
including
Singapore,
Malaysia,
South
Korea
and
Japan
–
focused
on
mutual
security,
economic
partnership
and
democratic
governance.
Our
discussions
with
Taiwan
leadership
will
focus
on
reaffirming
our
support
for
our
partner
and
on
promoting
our
shared
interests,
including
advancing
a
free
and
open
Indo-Pacific
region.
America’s
solidarity
with
the
23
million
people
of
Taiwan
is
more
important
today
than
ever,
as
the
world
faces
a
choice
between
autocracy
and
democracy,”
the
US
House
Speaker
said
in
a
statement.

She
added,
“Our
visit
is
one
of
several
Congressional
delegations
to
Taiwan
–
and
it
in
no
way
contradicts
longstanding
United
States
policy,
guided
by
the
Taiwan
Relations
Act
of
1979,
U.S.-China
Joint
Communiques
and
the
Six
Assurances.
The
United
States
continues
to
oppose
unilateral
efforts
to
change
the
status
quo.”

China
responded
to
her
visit
with
a
warning
that
it
will
have
a
“severe
impact”
on
bilateral
ties
and
it
“gravely
undermines”
regional
peace
and
stability,
as
the
official
media
said
that
the
military
will
launch
a
series
of
“targeted”
operations
to
counter
her
trip.

“It
has
a
severe
impact
on
the
political
foundation
of
China-US
relations,
and
seriously
infringes
upon
China’s
sovereignty
and
territorial
integrity.
It
gravely
undermines
peace
and
stability
across
the
Taiwan
Strait,
and
sends
a
seriously
wrong
signal
to
the
separatist
forces
for
‘Taiwan
independence’.

China
firmly
opposes
and
sternly
condemns
this,
and
has
made
serious
demarche
and
strong
protest
to
the
United
States,”
the
statement
said.
There
is
but
one-China
in
the
world,
Taiwan
is
an
inalienable
part
of
China’s
territory,
and
the
Government
of
the
People’s
Republic
of
China
is
the
sole
legal
government
representing
the
whole
of
China,
it
said.

Taiwan
and
China
split
in
1949
following
a
civil
war
that
ended
with
a
communist
victory
on
the
mainland.
They
have
no
official
relations
but
are
linked
by
billions
of
dollars
of
trade
and
investment.

Both
sides
say
they
are
one
country
but
disagree
over
which
government
is
entitled
to
national
leadership.