MADRID, 24 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced this Friday morning the detection of almost fifty fighter jets and nearly thirty Chinese warships around the island within the framework of the second and last day of the Army’s military maneuvers. of China initiated in response to statements by the newly elected Taiwanese president, William Lei, who urged Beijing to “face the existence” of the territory as a completely independent entity.
“49 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 19 PLA ships and 7 Chinese Coast Guard ships have been detected operating around Taiwan at around 6 a.m. (local time). 35 of the fighters have crossed the zone of Taiwan air defense identification,” the ministerial portfolio announced on its X social network account.
The Eastern Operations Command of the PLA has reported on the start of the second day of air, sea and land operations in the surroundings of the island, which will be focused on “joint patrols of preparation for maritime and air combat, joint takeover of the comprehensive battlefield control, joint precision strike against key targets and other issues.
In addition, Chinese forces will carry out training in maritime assault, land attack, air and anti-submarine defense “further testing their real combat capabilities.”
From Beijing, the Chinese authorities have reiterated on numerous occasions that Taiwan’s independence will not be tolerated and that they will not rule out the use of force to prevent secession. Ties between China and the island of Taiwan, which it considers another province under its sovereignty, were severed in 1949, after the forces of the nationalist Kuomintang party suffered defeat in the civil war against the Communist Party and moved to the archipelago. Relations were reestablished only at a business and informal level in the late 1980s.