Ten days before the inauguration of the new president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, China is increasing its pressure on the autonomous island. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced this Thursday, May 9, that it had detected 23 fighter planes and five Chinese warships around the autonomous island. The devices and buildings were spotted between 6 a.m. Wednesday (midnight in France) and the same time Thursday, Taipei said. “Eight of the planes crossed the median line” which bisects the Taiwan Strait, a narrow 180-kilometer sea lane between the island and mainland China.
At the same time, a Chinese fleet of seven ships and five coast guard boats were detected around Kinmen Island, a dependent island of Taiwan very close to mainland China, the Taiwanese coast guard said. This is “the fourth formation of Chinese coast guard ships sailing in Kinmen waters” in May.
An American ship “surveilled” by the Chinese navy
Beijing, which does not recognize this line, claims Taiwan as part of its territory and frequently sends planes and ships to its surroundings. The presence of these Chinese aircraft and buildings coincides with the current passage of an American warship, the USS Halsey, across the strait. The United States destroyer “conducted a routine crossing on May 8 in waters where the freedoms of navigation on the high seas and overflight apply in accordance with international law,” the American navy communicated on Wednesday.
This crossing “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to defending freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle”, according to the same source which adds: “No member of the international community should be intimidated or forced to abandon their rights and freedoms.”
The military command for eastern China said Wednesday evening that it had ordered its naval and air forces to “monitor the crossing of the American ship.” “The (Chinese) troops there remain on alert at all times and resolutely protect national sovereignty and security,” responded its spokesperson Li Xi in a statement.
Taiwan’s newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, won January’s presidential election despite warnings from Beijing that it would bring “war and decline” to the island. Lai Ching-te is to be inaugurated on May 20. Like outgoing leader Tsai Ing-wen, he rejects the demands of Beijing, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory to be retaken one day, by force if necessary.