China Admits To Hold Joint Air Force And Navy Exercises Near Taiwan Throughout Friday-Sunday

JAKARTA - China's Armed Forces announced it had held joint military exercises near Taiwan last week, after the island reported a spike in activity, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said.

The People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said in a statement that naval and air force assets carried out drills from Friday to Sunday in east and southwest Taiwan.

The command said the exercise was aimed at "further testing and enhancing the combined combat capabilities of various services and weapons". However, no details were provided.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said China had deployed bombers, fighters and anti-submarine aircraft.

Taiwan's air force deployed aircraft on Friday to warn of 18 Chinese aircraft entering its air defense zone, and reported further attacks on Saturday and Sunday, albeit with fewer aircraft.

No shots were fired and the Chinese aircraft were not flying in Taiwanese airspace, but in the ADIZ, the wider area was monitored and Taiwanese patrols acted to give more time to respond to any threats.

Taiwan has increased its vigilance since Russia invaded Ukraine, wary of China making a similar move, although the government in Taipei has not reported any signs of this imminent.

Addressing the Tawain Parliament on Monday, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said China continued to pose a threat.

"But we have the determination to defend our country," he said.

Taiwan's government rejects China's claim to sovereignty, saying only the island's 23 million residents can decide their future. Taiwan has complained for the past two years about frequent Chinese military activity nearby, mostly concentrated in the south and southwest of the island's air defense identification zone or ADIZ.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring democratically-ruled Taiwan under its control, and the Taiwan Strait remains a potential military flashpoint.

Separately, Japan last week reported eight Chinese naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier, were passing between islands in Japan's southern Okinawa chain, northeast of Taiwan.