China’s air force yesterday carried out another round of long-range drills, flying into the Sea of Japan (known as the “East Sea” in South Korea), prompting South Korean jets to scramble, and again around Taiwan amid growing tension over Beijing’s assertiveness in the region.
China has in recent months ramped up its long-range air force drills, particularly around Taiwan.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke (申進科) said in a statement that fighter and bomber aircraft flew through the Tsushima Strait that separates South Korea from Japan and into international waters in the Sea of Japan, adding that the Sea of Japan is not Japan’s, and the drills were lawful and reasonable.
He described the exercises as routine and pre-planned.
In Seoul, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that five Chinese military planes were spotted entering the South Korean air defense identification zone, and fighter jets scrambled in response.
The Chinese aircraft also flew through Japan’s air defense identification zone, it added.
“Our fighter planes took normal tactical measures, identifying the models of the Chinese planes and flying aerial surveillance until they left,” the South Korean statement said.
Shen alluded to the scrambled aircraft, saying they “responded to interference from foreign military aircraft,” but were able to achieve the aim of their drill.
There was no immediate reaction from Japan’s government.
Taiwan’s military said that China had staged a separate drill at the same time, flying through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, and then returning to base through the Miyako Strait, to Taiwan’s north and near Japan’s southern islands.
Taiwan monitored the situation as Japan sent F-15 fighters to intercept, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
After taking leave from a scheduled appearance at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) yesterday morning oversaw the nation’s response to the Chinese air patrol by attending an intelligence briefing at the Heng Shan Military Command Center, a facility nestled deep under the mountains surrounding Taipei that serves as the military’s main command and control center in case of an emergency.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said Chinese actions, such as its air patrols, are increasing military tensions, and might have a negative and harmful effect on peace and stability throughout the region.
“Such actions are irresponsible and they are not welcomed by the international community,” he said.
The Chinese air force last week conducted “island encirclement patrols” near Taiwan, after a senior Chinese diplomat threatened that China would invade Taiwan if any US warships made port visits there.
China’s air force exercises also come amid regional tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, with bellicose rhetoric from both North Korea and US President Donald Trump.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS