China sends dozens of warplanes towards Taiwan

TAIPEI: China on Sunday sent dozens of warplanes towards Taiwan for a second day of military drills, launched in retaliation to the island's president, Tsai Ing-wen, meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a brief visit to the US, according to a media report.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it was monitoring the movements of China's missile forces, as the US said it too was on alert, The Guardian reported.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent 58 war planes, including fighter jets, reconnaissance planes, and refuellers, into Taiwan's air defence identification zone on Sunday morning, according to Taiwan's defence ministry, The Guardian reported.

It did not provide a map or locations, but said 31 planes had crossed the median line – the de facto border in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and China.

The PLA had announced the immediate start to three days of drills on Saturday morning. By 7 p.m. that evening, it had sent 71 war planes and eight ships into Taiwan's ADIZ with almost 60 crossing the median line.

Taiwan's ministry said the activity had severely violated Indo-Pacific peace and stability, and had a negative effect on international security and economies. It urged other countries to speak out against China's actions, The Guardian reported.

Last August, after a visit to Taipei by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China staged war games around Taiwan including firing missiles into waters close to the island, though it has yet to announce similar drills this time.