China Gives Warning of Attacking Any US Troops Defending Taiwan By Sending 13 Fighter Planes To ADIZ

Taiwanese F-16 fighter jets shadow China's H-6 bomber at ADIZ (Wikimedia Commons/軍事新聞通訊社)

JAKARTA - Chinese troops will attack any US troops sent to defend Taiwan if war over the island breaks out, state media supporting Beijing say.

The Global Times newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Chinese government, issued the threat after US national security adviser Jake Sullivan vowed never to allow a Chinese invasion to take place.

Such threats are unbelievable because the US "cannot afford" the cost of defending Taiwan, the newspaper said, urging Sullivan to keep his "big mouth" and avoid "creating more shame for the US."

Along with the warning, China on Friday sent 13 warplanes to threaten Taiwan's airspace, including eight warplanes and two nuclear-capable bombers.

Taipei said the sorties included six J-16 fighters, two J-10 fighters, two H-6 bombers, one Y-8 spy plane, one Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, one spy plane KJ-500.

"Warplanes, anti-submarine aircraft, and KJ-500 aircraft all carried out a brief attack on Taiwan's 'air defense identification zone (ADIZ)' on Friday," Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said citing the December 10 Daily Mail.

Taiwan air defense identification zone (ADIZ) map. (Wikimedia Commons/Maximilian Dörrbecker)

Taiwan requires all aircraft flying to its ADIZ to identify themselves, stating their destination. The zone is different from the country's territorial airspace.

The Y-8 bomber and spy plane flew a much longer route, around the southern tip of the island and to its eastern flank before turning around.

It is the largest mission since November 28, when 27 aircraft flew the same route. China normally flies one such mission per day and has been doing it for months, which Taiwan's government says constitutes harassment.

"No one believes the US has the right desire to defend Taiwan at any cost," the Global Times wrote, adding: "The US is far from defending Taiwan at the expense of a deadly war."

Washington may believe that sending US troops to the island is a 'deterrent', the editorial added, but in reality, they will only find themselves under attack.

"The US mainly provides military support to Taiwan by selling weapons. Those weapons are generally destined to be destroyed by the People's Liberation Army as soon as violent reunification occurs," the newspaper said.

"It's believable that the PLA will attack the US troops who come to save Taiwan. Such credibility further overwhelms the deterrence US forces have."

To completely avoid a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the state-backed newspaper said, the US should encourage the Taiwanese government to engage in diplomacy.

"If the US continues to regard the island of Taiwan as a pawn to contain mainland China and send the wrong signal to [the government], then the situation will continue to worsen," it said.

"Solving the Taiwan question by force will be the unavoidable and only option for mainland China."

To note, Taiwan is home to the People's Republic of China, the mainland's longtime ruler who was toppled by the 1946 revolution that brought the Communist Party to power.