27 Chinese Fighter Jets Pass Through Taiwan's Air Defense Zone |
International Military - China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly dispatched 27 fighter jets to an area Taiwan has designated as an Air Defense Identification Area (ADIZ) on Wednesday.
27 PLA aircraft (6 J-11 fighter jets, 5 J-16 fighter jets and 16 SU-30 fighter jets) entered the area around the R.O.C on August 3, 2022," Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said on Twitter referring to the acronym Republic of China, the island's official name. it was as quoted from Anadolu.
A statement on Twitter said military patrol planes and air defense missile systems followed the plane and sent out an alert via radio. The flight came hours after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the island.
Pelosi was on a four-nation trip to Asia and flew on Tuesday evening to Taiwan from Malaysia. It was the first trip to the self-governing island by a sitting US House Speaker in 25 years.
The visit was met with anger by China, which is launching military drills and planning four-day drills around the island.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a "breakaway province" and strongly urges other countries to avoid direct ties with Taipei, which enjoys independent diplomatic ties with at least 14 countries.
The United States does not recognize Taiwan as a separate country but has economic and defense ties to the island. Republican politician Newt Gingrich was the last US House Speaker to travel to Taiwan, in 1997.