Taiwan spots unprecedented 153 Chinese military aircraft following major drills: Video
Taiwan has issued a strong statement accusing China of actions that "seriously undermined regional peace and stability."
This comes in response to China's recent military activities around the island, which have drawn significant concern from both Taipei and international observers.
Official data revealed that Taiwan detected a record 153 Chinese military aircraft around the self-governed island on Tuesday, October 15, following a day of extensive drills conducted by China.
The aircraft was observed within the 25 hours leading up to 6:00 am on Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday), according to a statement from the defence ministry. This marks the highest number recorded in a single day.
The tension between Taiwan and China has been escalating, with China conducting a series of military exercises near Taiwan. These actions are seen as a show of force and a direct challenge to Taiwan's sovereignty. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council described these exercises as "blatant provocations".
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a warning to China regarding its actions around Taiwan.
"I can tell you that with regard to the so-called 10.10 speech, which is a regular exercise, China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions, on the contrary, we want to reinforce -- and many other countries want to reinforce -- the imperative of preserving the status quo and neither party taking any actions that might undermine it," he said.
