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Taiwan records approach of Chinese air, sea forces, including 6 aircraft, 4 warships

PLAN vessels and aircraft have been patrolling the waters and airspace near the island regularly amid tensions in the Taiwan Strait that escalated after former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to Taipei early last August

HONG KONG, May 24. /TASS/. Taiwan has reported the approach of six aircraft and four Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships in the region adjacent to the island in the past 24 hours, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, two aircraft, including one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft and a Y-8 radar testing aircraft, entered the Taiwanese air defense identification zone in the island’s southwest. Warplanes were scrambled to identify the air target, and warnings were issued by Taiwan.

PLAN vessels and aircraft have been patrolling the waters and airspace near the island regularly amid tensions in the Taiwan Strait that escalated after former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to Taipei early last August. China criticized the high-level visit as a provocation, interpreting it 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 a province of the People’s Republic of China. Washington remains Taipei’s key supplier of weapons and military hardware.

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