China sends warships and fighter jets to near Taiwan during Yellen’s Beijing visit

BEIJING—As of early Saturday morning, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has dispatched 13 aircraft and six ships to the airspace and waters around Taiwan in the past 24 hours, following U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s Beijing effort to ease tensions. overlapped with my visit.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said it was monitoring the situation from the air and sea and that land-based missile systems were ready to respond. According to the announcement, four Chinese aircraft (two SU-30 fighters, one BZK-005 reconnaissance plane, and one Y-8 anti-submarine fighter) crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which is the de facto border. entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone.

China claims Taiwan is its own territory and can annex it by force if necessary, and has almost daily air and naval missions to undermine the island’s defenses and intimidate its 23 million people. However, so far Taiwanese seem to be largely unmoved by such things. move.

U.S. support for the self-governing island nation that separated from mainland China during the civil war in 1949 remains a major impetus in relations with China.

Just prior to Yellen’s arrival, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command on Thursday. The area of ​​operations directly faces the island across the Taiwan Strait.

Addressing commanders at the Jiangsu provincial command, Xi said, “I emphasized efforts to develop theater command and break new ground in war preparation,” according to state media reports.

According to the report, he called for “strengthening war and combat planning and training under real combat conditions to increase the fighting and winning capabilities of the armed forces.”

The world’s largest standing army, the People’s Liberation Army serves as the Communist Party’s military arm and is overseen by a committee chaired by Mr. Xi.

The Chinese government has also vehemently opposed U.S. military aid to Taiwan, and on Wednesday lashed out at the forthcoming sale of artillery shells and other equipment worth $440 million. , accused the United States of turning Taiwan into a powder keg.

Yellen does not plan to meet with Xi during her visit.