China took this action after the US passed the US Annual Defense Expenditure Bill related to Taiwan on Saturday. In a statement on Saturday, China’s Foreign Ministry termed it a serious political provocation and said it was open interference in China’s internal affairs. At the same time, Taiwan welcomed the bill and said that it shows America’s support for the self-governing island.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, 47 Chinese aircraft passed in the Taiwan Strait area between 6 am on Sunday and 6 am on Monday.
This is an informal boundary, tacitly accepted by both sides. The aircraft sent by China to Taiwan include 18 J-16 fighter aircraft, 11 J-1 fighter aircraft, six Su-30 fighter aircraft and drones.
Taiwan said it was monitoring Chinese actions through its land-based missile systems as well as its naval ships. “This is a response to US-Taiwan provocation,” Xi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said in a statement on Sunday.
He said that the PLA has been conducting joint patrols in the waters around Taiwan and conducting joint exercises.
Xi was referring to the US defense spending bill, which China has described as a strategic challenge. US President Joe Biden signed the $ 858 billion defense bill on Friday and gave it the form of law. This includes $45 billion more than Biden promised lawmakers to reduce the effects of inflation and increase the country’s military competitiveness against China and Russia.
