Condemning China's 'Air Strikes' On Taiwan, United States: It's Undermining Regional Peace And Stability

Taiwanese F-16 fighter jets shadow Chinese H-6 bombers in the air defense zone. (Wikimedia Commons/軍事新聞通訊社)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) has condemned China's biggest attack on Taiwan's air defense zone, which it describes as "provocative" and "destabilizing" military activity.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price on Sunday called on Beijing to stop its "military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion on Taiwan".

"The United States is deeply concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which destabilizes, risks miscalculation, undermines regional peace and stability," Price said in a statement.

The comments followed a new record attack on Saturday by 39 aircraft, a day after Beijing marked its National Day by buzzing the self-governing democratic island with 39 warplanes, including the nuclear-capable H-6 bomber.

Taiwan sent warplanes to warn Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

Beijing claims the island of 23 million as its own and has not ruled out using force to achieve its goals.

Taiwan's Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday, "China has waged wars and undermined regional peace while engaging in many acts of intimidation."

"It is evident that the world, the international community, increasingly rejects such behavior by China," he said.

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It said Chinese warplanes crossed into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) almost daily.

The ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan's territorial airspace, but covers a much larger area that overlaps part of China's air defense identification zone, covering some of mainland China.

Beijing has been increasing pressure on Taipei since Tsai Ing-wen was elected president in 2016. She was re-elected in a landslide in 2020.

The United States itself has pledged to 'continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining adequate self-defense capabilities'.

"The US commitment to Taiwan is very strong and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the region," Price said.

China has not commented on its activities. Previously, it said such flights were to protect the country's sovereignty and aimed at 'collusion' between Taiwan and the US, the island's most important international backer.