The government would mount an iron-clad defense of the nation’s sovereignty and its people’s safety, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday after a Chinese warplane breached the nation’s air defense identification zone on Thursday night.
The warplane entered the nation’s southwestern air space twice, at 7:35pm and 7:36pm, and the Republic of China Air Force dispatched an aircraft to shadow and evict it after broadcasting a warning, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday.
The incident marked a rare occurrence of a Chinese warplane entering the zone after nightfall.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The ministry on March 17 said that two Chinese aircraft on March 16 conducted a night-time drill near Taiwan’s southwestern airspace.
China is experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 and heavy floods, but Beijing is not concentrating its energy on taking care of its people, Su said on the sidelines of an event in Taipei.
Instead it is sending warplanes to disrupt regional peace and put pressure on neighboring nations, which have condemned its actions, he said.
Taiwan, as a sovereign nation, would resolutely defend its airspace and protect its people, he said.
He urged Beijing to concentrate on caring for its people, rather than disturbing regional peace.
A military observer in southern Taiwan surnamed Hsu (許) said that Chinese aircraft have intruded into the nation’s airspace at least 20 times this year.
Thursday’s action was likely triggered by the six recent incidents involving E-8C battle command aircraft from the US flying over the Taiwan Strait, as well as large-scale military drills that the US and its allies have been conducting in the South China Sea, Hsu said.
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