Chinese Military Warplanes Enter Taiwan Airspace Days After Joe Biden Takes Office
Show of force by Beijing seems to be an emboldened display of future intentions
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China flew 15 military fighter jets into the airspace of Taiwan just days after Joe Biden took office, according to reports.
The fighter jets flew between mainland Taiwan and the Pratas Islands, according to Reuters.
The jets included six J-10 fighters, two SU-30s, and other military planes, the report added.
China also flew eight bombers and four fighters into the same airspace just days earlier.
Fifteen PLA aircraft (Y-8 ASW*2、SU-30*2、J-16*4、J-10*6、Y-8 RECCE*1) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on Jan. 24, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/lJ8ddkMvl5 pic.twitter.com/tQV0SoPuWR
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) January 24, 2021
The show of force by Beijing seems to be an emboldened display of future intentions as it comes within the first week of Biden’s term in office.
Nikkei Asia reported it was rare for China to send more than 10 war planes at once, and for two consecutive days.
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Spokesman from the U.S. State Department, Ned Price, said:
Washington "notes with concern the pattern of ongoing PRC [People’s Republic of China] attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan."
"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives," he said in the statement.
Taiwan’s air force responded to the incursion.
Beijing’s move was meant to pressure the government of President Tsai Ing-wen to recognize Taiwan as a part of Chinese territory.
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The Reuters report said the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier team entered the South China Sea on Sunday to exercise "freedom of the seas."
Biden’s choice to be secretary of state, Antony Blinken, vowed to be tough on China but also pledged to repair the supposed damage done by Trump.
On Wednesday, China imposed sanctions on over two dozen former Trump administration officials, which included outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, just as Biden was sworn into office.
Earlier this week, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) openly celebrated Joe Biden’s occupation of the White House by exclaiming “good riddance” to President Donald Trump on Twitter.
The CCP’s state-controlled propaganda news outlet, the Xinhua News Agency, tweeted out a picture of the White House during Biden’s inauguration with the caption: “Good riddance, Donald Trump!”
