China’s 41 military aircraft and ships conduct drills around Taiwan

Last Updated on December 2, 2024 6:07 am

China has once again increased its military activity around Taiwan. Forty-one Chinese military aircraft and ships have been spotted around Taiwan. Taiwan said this on Friday local time, AFP reported. The report said that President Lai Ching-te will embark on a state visit and will stop in Hawaii in the United States as part of the trip.

The news of the visit has sparked anger in Beijing in the Pacific region.
According to Taiwanese and regional security analysts, China may begin military drills near Taiwan in the coming days. They believe that China may use Lai’s Pacific tour and stop in the United States as an excuse for these drills. Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of this claim as a sovereign nation. Taiwan says China deploys warplanes, drones and warships around Taiwan almost daily.

The number has increased in recent years, the country says. China has conducted two large-scale war games around Taiwan this year. AFP reports that 33 Chinese warplanes and eight naval ships were detected in the air and waters as of 6 a.m. local time on Friday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said. Of those, 19 took part in China’s “joint combat readiness patrol” on Thursday evening.

Today’s number was the highest in more than three weeks, according to an AFP survey of daily statistics published by the Taiwanese ministry. Meanwhile, Taiwan has complained that Chinese balloons are also flying near the island. Su Ju-yun, a military expert at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told AFP that it could not be ruled out that China could conduct relatively larger military exercises in response to Lai’s visit.