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Taiwan is scheduled to hold the annual Han Kuang exercise next week, during which its military will conduct combat readiness exercises to prevent invasion. It will also conduct annual Wanaan exercises aimed at preparing civilians for natural disasters and practicing evacuations in the event of an air strike.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army dispatched 37 aircraft and seven navy ships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday, the ministry said in a statement.
Among them were J-10 and J-16 fighters and H-6 bombers, and 22 warplanes detected crossed the center line. Taiwan Strait – an unofficial border that was considered a buffer zone between the island and the mainland – or entered the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone near its southern part, the statement said.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party taking control of the mainland. The island has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but Beijing says it should unite with the mainland.
In recent years, China has shown its displeasure with political activities in Taiwan by increasing the number of military aircraft sent toward the island.
China conducted massive military exercises in response to former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August. Missiles were fired over the island in a major escalation that disrupted trade lanes in the Taiwan Strait and forced planes to divert flights.
In April, the People’s Liberation Army also conducted large-scale combat readiness exercises in the air and at sea around the island in response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with incumbent Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
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