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Taiwan records approach of 26 Chinese aircraft in past day

On April 8-10, the PLAN conducted an exercise, called Joint Sword, in the Taiwan Strait, and in the waters north, south and east of the island. That coincided with patrols around Taiwan

HONG KONG /XIANGGANG/, April 13. /TASS/. The Taiwanese military has registered 26 aircraft and seven ships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) near the island in the past 24 hours, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday.

"As of 6:00 a.m. (1:00 a.m. Moscow time — TASS) today, 26 aircraft and seven PLAN vessels were detected," the statement reads.

According to it, 14 aircraft, including Su-30s as well as J-16 and J-10 multi-role fighters, crossed the so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait. In response, the Taiwanese military sent air patrols and also activated air defense systems to track the Chinese aircraft.

On April 8-10, the PLAN conducted an exercise, called Joint Sword, in the Taiwan Strait, and in the waters north, south and east of the island. That coincided with patrols around Taiwan.

The exercise came after a stopover in the United States by Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen. On April 5, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held a meeting with Tsai, after which the US emphasized the need to continue weapons sales to Taiwan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a protest, warning that Beijing would take effective and resolute retaliatory measures.

The PLA has been regularly patrolling the waters near the island in recent months. Tensions in the Taiwan Strait escalated after former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to Taipei last August. She was followed by several more delegations of US lawmakers and governors. China criticized the trips as provocations, interpreting them as interference in its internal affairs and support for Taiwanese separatists.

Taiwan, China’s largest island, has been governed by its local administration since 1949. Official Beijing considers Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China. Washington remains Taipei’s key supplier of weapons and military hardware.

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