Beijing fly-bys of Taiwan ‘risky’, says US

Beijing flew 93 military sorties near Taiwan over three days as China celebrated its National Day holiday.

A Chinese stealth fighter jet was among the planes that flew sorties in the Taiwan air defence zone. Picture: Getty Images

The US has slammed China for “provocative” and “destabilising” military activity, after Chinese fighter jets and bombers made their largest-ever incursion into Taiwan’s air defence zone.

Beijing flew 93 military sorties near Taiwan over three days as China celebrated its National Day holiday that fell on Friday.

“The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilising, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said late on Sunday.

“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan.”

Beijing on Friday held its biggest aerial show of force against Taiwan to date, buzzing the self-ruled democratic island with 38 warplanes, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.

That was followed by a new record incursion on Saturday by 39 planes, said Taiwan, which ­accused Beijing of “bullying” and “damaging regional peace.”

“It’s evident that the world, the international community, rejects such behaviours by China more and more,” Premier Su Tseng-chang said on Saturday.

On Sunday, China sent another 16 military aircraft. Taiwan responded to the deployment with combat aircraft to keep the intruders at bay, issued radio warnings and deployed missile systems to track their activity.

“Oct. 1 wasn’t a good day,” Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted. “It’s strange China doesn’t bother faking excuses anymore.”

Democratic Taiwan’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taipei since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who has said she views the island as “already independent” and not part of a “one China”.

Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese warplanes are crossing into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on a near daily basis. In the past two years, Beijing has begun sending large sorties into Taiwan’s ADIZ to signal dissatisfaction at key moments – and to keep Taipei’s ageing fighter fleet regularly stressed.

Mr Xi has described Taiwan becoming part of the mainland as “inevitable”.

US military officials have begun to talk openly about fears that China could invade. Protection of Taiwan has become a rare bipartisan issue in Washington and a growing number of Western nations have begun joining the US in freedom of navigation exercises to push back on China’s claims to the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Mr Price said the US would “continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a self-defence capability”, adding: “The US commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability … within the region.”

AFP