Taiwan Air Force scrambles after 30 Chinese jets enter Air Defence Identificiation Zone

Taiwan Air Force scrambles after 30 Chinese jets enter Air Defence Identificiation Zone

A flight map provided by the Taiwanese defence ministry showed the planes entered the south-western corner of the ADIZ before they looping back out again

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Tuesday, May 31, 2022, 11:51 AM IST
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Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16D | Twitter/@YussufMwinyi

Taiwan scrambled fighter jets in response to Chinese military aircraft entering its air defence zone (ADIZ), said Taiwan's defence ministry. It was the largest such incursion by Chinese fighter planes since January this year.

It came days after US President Joe Biden warned China against invading Taiwan, and on the same day as a US official visited the island to discuss security with leaders.

China has ratcheted up the frequency of its air missions in recent months, claiming they are training drills.

Such moves have angered Taiwan and increased tensions in the region.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, which it can take by force if necessary.

Last week, the US accused Beijing of raising tensions over the island, with secretary of state Antony Blinken specifically mentioning aircraft incursions as an example of “increasingly provocative rhetoric and activity”.

An air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft is performed in the interest of national security.

They may extend beyond a country's territory to give the country more time to respond to possibly hostile aircraft. The concept of an ADIZ is not defined in any international treaty and is not regulated by any international body.

The ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan’s territorial airspace but includes a far greater area that overlaps with part of China’s own air defence identification zone and even includes some of the mainland.

A flight map provided by the Taiwanese defence ministry showed the planes entered the south-western corner of the ADIZ before they looping back out again.

Last year, Taiwan recorded 969 incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ, according to an AFP database – more than double the roughly 380 carried out in 2020.

The highest number of aircraft China has sent in a single day was 56 on 4 October 2021. That month saw a record 196 incursions, mostly around China’s annual national day celebrations.

So far in 2022 Taiwan has reported 465 incursions, a near 50% increase on the same period last year. The sheer number of sorties has put the air force under immense pressure, and it has suffered a string of fatal accidents in recent years.

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