Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday as 18 Chinese aircrafts crossed the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, in an escalation of tensions as a senior U.S. official held talks in Taipei.
Keith Krach, U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs arrived in Taipei on Thursday for a three day visit. China had said that this would prompt a ‘necessary response’.
China had earlier announced the start of combat drills near the Taiwan Strait, denouncing what it called collision between the island, which it claims to be a part of its territory and the US.
Taiwan said 18 Chinese aircrafts were seen on Friday. Its defense ministry tweeted “two H-6 bombers, eight J-16 fighters, four J-10 fighters and four J-11 fighters crossed the midline of Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ”.
The ministry showed a map of the flight paths of Chinese jets crossing the Taiwan Strait mid-line.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said “These are reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
He said Taiwan was a purely internal Chinese affair and accused the Democratic Progressive Party of collusion with the United States.
