32 Chinese fighter planes at the island

32 Chinese fighter planes at the island

Updated 08:42 | Published at 08:27

full screen China has intensified its military exercises around Taiwan over the past year. Archive image. Photo: Taiwan Military News Agency Via AP/TT

China has sent 32 warplanes and nine ships against Taiwan in the past 24 hours, according to a statement from Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense.

20 of the planes are said to have either crossed the so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait or violated the air defense identification zone.

Taiwan responded by sending its own warplanes, ships and missile systems to the area, the Defense Department said.

China has stepped up its military exercises around the island over the past year in response to Taiwan’s political activities.

Earlier this week, the US State Department announced that it had signed off on the sale of military equipment to Taiwan worth half a billion dollars.

Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense, said on Friday that China opposes the arms sale. He called it a “gross interference in China’s internal affairs” and described it as a “heinous act”.

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