38 chinese warplanes fly over taiwan's defense zone

38 Chinese warplanes fly over Taiwan's defense zone

Taiwan says 38 Chinese military planes flew over its defensive zone on Friday, the "biggest attack ever" by Beijing.

The Defense Ministry said the planes, which included nuclear-capable bombers, entered Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in two phases.

Taiwan defended itself with its jets and missile systems.

It should be noted that China considers Taiwan as its part while Taiwan considers itself an independent state.

Taiwan has been complaining about Chinese air missions near the island for more than a year.

"China is undermining regional peace through military aggression," Taiwan's Prime Minister Xu Sengchang told reporters on Saturday.

China has not yet commented on the matter, but has previously targeted "collusion" between Taiwan and the United States, saying such flights are to protect its sovereignty.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said 25 People's Liberation Army (PLA) planes entered the southwestern part of AIDZ during the day.

"Then on Friday evening, 13 more PLA ships entered the same area, which flew between Taiwan and the Philippines."

The Defense Ministry said the Chinese planes included four H-6 bombers, which carry nuclear weapons, as well as an anti-submarine.

The Air Defense Identification Zone is the territory of any country and beyond its airspace, but foreign aircraft arriving here are controlled in the interests of identification, surveillance and national security.

The territory is determined by the country itself and is technically called international airspace.

Beijing often launches such missions to express displeasure with Taiwan's comments, but it is not clear what the reason for the recent mission is.



Sino-Taiwanese relations

What caused the bad relations between China and Taiwan?

China and Taiwan split during the civil war in the 1940s, but Beijing insists the island will be recaptured by force at some point if need be.

How is Taiwan governed?

The island has its own constitution and democratically elected leaders, while its armed forces number about 300,000.

Which countries recognize Taiwan?

Only a few countries recognize Taiwan, and most recognize the Chinese government in Beijing. The United States has no formal relationship with Taiwan but has a law that provides the island with the means to defend itself.