Threatening gestures increased in 2023
Taiwan reports invasion by eight Chinese fighter jets
December 24, 2023, 4:13 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Airspace violations from China are now part of everyday life for Taiwan. Now the Ministry of Defense reports that eight Chinese fighter jets and a balloon entered its own territory within 24 hours.
Eight Chinese fighter jets and one balloon have flown over the median line of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours, according to a statement from Taiwan’s defense ministry. The median line serves as an unofficial border between the two sides, but is regularly crossed by Chinese aircraft.
Democratically ruled Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province and its own territory, has flagged regular Chinese military patrols and exercises near the island for four years. A new president will be elected in Taiwan on January 13th. Relations with China are an important issue in the election campaign.
China has in the past justified its military activities in Taiwan’s immediate neighborhood as measures to prevent “collusion” between Taiwanese separatists and the United States. This will protect China’s territorial unity. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Only the island’s population can decide their own future.
Xi talks to Biden about “reunification”
Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden during the recent summit in San Francisco that Beijing would reunite Taiwan with mainland China. Only the timing has not yet been determined, US officials reported on Thursday, according to NBC News. Xi told Biden at a group meeting in November attended by numerous American and Chinese officials that China would ideally like to take Taiwan peacefully, the officials said.
The Chinese head of state is said to have also referred to public predictions from US military officials. They had predicted that Xi wanted to take Taiwan in either 2025 or 2027. He explained to Biden that these predictions were wrong because there was no time frame yet. This is how two current and one former officials describe it, who say they were informed about the meeting.
The People’s Republic’s threatening gestures towards Taiwan increased in 2023 – in April the Chinese army practiced encircling the island in a major maneuver. The USA does not support independence for Taiwan, but rejects forceful incorporation by China.