THE nation detected a record 153 Chinese military aircraft around the self-ruled island, official data showed, after China held a day of large-scale drills.
The aircraft were spotted in the 25 hours to 6am yesterday, the defence ministry said in a statement – the most for a single day.
Beijing deployed fighter jets, drones, warships and coast guard boats to encircle Taiwan on Monday, with Taiwan responding by dispatching “appropriate forces” and placing its outlying islands on heightened alert.
Taiwan condemned China’s actions as “irrational and provocative” and the US called them “unwarranted”.
Japan said it had expressed its “concerns” to China over the drills and scrambled fighter jets near its southern island of Yonaguni.“The government is closely monitoring the related activities with great interest and has conveyed Japan’s concerns to the Chinese side,” deputy chief cabinet secretary Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry yesterday urged China “not to cause trouble for no reason and become a troublemaker that undermines peace and stability”. — AFP
