Taiwan’s military stated on Dec. 13 that it detected 29 Chinese aircraft and three naval vessels near its territory, 21 of which flew into Taiwanese airspace, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intensifies pressure on the self-ruled island.
The ministry stated that 21 of the detected aircraft, including 18 bombers, had entered Taiwan’s southeast air defense identification zone (ADIZ). It also detected Chinese aircraft and vessels surrounding Taiwan on Dec. 12.
The ADIZ isn’t airspace directly over the island nation but in the immediately surrounding area, where identification, location information, and government control of aircraft are required for security purposes.
China Ramped Up Pressure
The CCP initiated military drills near Taiwan after a controversial visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in August, firing multiple ballistic missiles over Taiwan and imposing a blockade of its international sea.The Chinese regime had claimed that Pelosi’s visit was a violation of its supposed sovereignty over Taiwan. Wu said the CCP launched drills following the visit to deter other governments from supporting Taiwan.
“If China can do that to Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, I think that is going to cause concern in other countries [about] whether their support for Taiwan is going to actually damage Taiwan’s national interest rather than providing real support to Taiwan,” he said.
Aside from military threats, Beijing also ramped up pressure on Taiwan through economic coercion, cyberattacks, cognitive and legal warfare, and diplomatic efforts to isolate Taiwan from the rest of the world, Wu said.
“Due to the continuing guidance of the past three leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has been on a 20-plus year military modernization program,” Fanell told The Epoch Times in a recent email.
“This ongoing PLA modernization program is aimed at supporting the CCP’s strategic ambition to displace the United States from the Indo-Pacific and to ultimately restore the PRC to what they believe is China’s rightful position as the leader of the world,” Fanell wrote.
“Today, that entails leading the global order across all levers of national power, especially in the military domain, both conventional and nuclear.”