TAIPEI: China sent aircraft and warships near Taiwan for a second day on Friday and insisted the island remains “an inseparable part of China”, after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen angered Beijing after meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Three Chinese warships sailed in the waters surrounding the self-ruled island. In addition, a fighter jet and an anti-submarine helicopter also crossed the island’s ADIZ (air defence identification zone), as stated by Taiwan’s defence ministry.
Tsai Ing-wen told reporters that her government was committed to ensuring “the free and democratic way of life of her people (Taiwan)” before she left Los Angeles, where she had a stopover on her way back from Latin America.
She added that they were doing their best to maintain peace and stability between the two sides.
China Says Taiwan as Part of China
On Friday, China said Taiwan is an inseparable part of China after repeatedly warning against the meeting.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressed amid a regular press briefing that China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would never be divided, adding that the future of Taiwan lay in reunification with its motherland.”
Pingtan island, China’s closes outpost to Taiwan, saw a military ship and at least three army helicopters transiting through the strait late Friday.
The silver-grey Dongtuo-859 tugboat cruised southwards, about one kilometre away from the shore, while the other two aircraft flew northwards above the waters at a fairly low altitude.
It was not immediately obvious if the movements represented an enhancement of normal patrols that Beijing conducts in the region.
Last August, China deployed warships, fighter and missile jets around Taiwan for its largest show of force in years, following a trip to the island by McCarthy’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi.
China’s response to the Tsai-McCarthy meeting has so far been more dormant, and Beijing’s ADIZ incursions in the last two days have not risen beyond the activities of an average week.
But Taiwan is still on alert, with Prime Minister Chen Chien-jen warning on Friday that Taipei’s security and defence agencies were keeping a close eye on recent and future developments.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said three warships had been detected around the Taiwan Strait, and one Chinese naval helicopter crossed the Air Defence Zone on the island.
McCarthy, who is second in line for the US presidency, had initially planned to go to Taiwan but later opted to meet Tsai in California.
The move was viewed as a compromise that would highlight support for Taiwan but avoid inflaming tensions with Beijing, a move analysts say it has so far proven successful.
On Thursday, Tsai expressed that it was common for them to meet US friends on such occasions.
