No ‘median line’ in Taiwan Strait: China asserts after sending 103 warplanes around Taiwan – Times of India

BEIJING: China on Monday dismissed the existence of a “median line” within the unstable Taiwan Strait after Taiwan’s defence ministry stated it detected a report 103 Chinese language warplanes flying across the self-ruled island in a 24-hour interval.”To start with, this isn’t a query about overseas affairs. I recommend you seek advice from competent Chinese language authorities for specifics,” Chinese language International Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated with out commenting on Beijing’s newest navy provocation.”Let me say that Taiwan is a part of China’s territory. There is no such thing as a so-called “median line” within the Taiwan Strait,” Mao asserted when a reporter sought her response to Taiwan’s defence ministry’s assertion that 40 of the 103 Chinese language Folks’s Liberation Military warplanes crossed the “median line” on the Taiwan Strait in a 24-hour span between Sunday and Monday.China views Taiwan – a democratically ruled island of 24 million – as a part of its territory, regardless of having by no means ruled it.The ruling Communist Social gathering of China has lengthy vowed that the island should be unified with the Chinese language mainland, by power if vital, whereas Taiwan strongly rejects China’s territorial claims over it.In keeping with a flight map supplied by Taiwan’s defence ministry, 40 of the 103 Chinese language warplanes crossed the “median line” on the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s self-declared air defence identification zone (ADIZ).These 40 incursions had been made by 10 Su-30 fighter jets, 12 J-10 fighter jets, 4 J-11 fighter jets, 10 J-16 fighter jets, two Y-20 aerial refuelling plane, and two KJ-500 airborne early warning and management planes, it stated.The ministry stated it had tasked fight air patrol plane, navy vessels and land-based missile methods to reply.The variety of incursions marked a brand new excessive in latest occasions, posing a “severe problem” to safety within the Taiwan Strait and wider area, the ministry stated. “Continued harassment by the Chinese language navy is more likely to trigger a pointy rise in tensions and deteriorate regional safety,” it stated, calling on Beijing to “instantly stop such damaging and unilateral behaviour.”The most recent navy motion from Beijing got here days after China determined to impose sanctions on two US defence corporations – Lockheed Martin Company and Northrop Grumman – for his or her involvement in arms gross sales to Taiwan.In disregard of China’s agency opposition, the US authorities intentionally provides weapons to China’s Taiwan area, Chinese language International Ministry Spokesperson Mao stated on Friday.America goes additional down the fallacious and harmful path of arming Taiwan, Mao stated at a press briefing.The Chinese language authorities by no means wavers in its resolve to safeguard nationwide sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mao stated.”We name on america to earnestly abide by the one-China precept and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques, cease arms gross sales to Taiwan, cease navy collusion with Taiwan, and cease arming Taiwan, in any other case will probably be met with China’s resolute response,” she warned.