Taiwan Bristles, Lashes Out After China’s Largest Ever Aerial Show Of Force

Taiwan is expressing outrage after China flew a total 38 military aircraft inside the island’s Air Defense Identification Zone on Friday. In a Saturday statement Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang blasted China as having been “wantonly engaged in military aggression” which is “damaging regional peace”.

The Friday flyovers came in two separate incursions, which happened on China’s ‘National Day’ which marked the establishment of the communist People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Initially Taiwan’s defense ministry said 25 total jets breached its air defense identification zone Friday (ADIZ) in the first incident.

The self-ruled island scramble air patrols and additionally put its anti-air missile defenses on high alert. Later into the evening, 13 more were recorded inside the ADIZ in a separate breach, totaling a record-smashing 38 Chinese aircraft.

Oct. 1 wasn’t a good day. The #PLAAF flew 38 warplanes into #Taiwan‘s ADIZ, making it the largest number of daily sorties on record. Threatening? Of course. It’s strange the #PRC doesn’t bother faking excuses anymore. JW

(📸 via @MoNDefense) pic.twitter.com/U2fHUwV5uK

— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) October 2, 2021

Prior to the ROC premier’s Saturday statement, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in a Friday tweet:

“Oct. 1 wasn’t a good day. The PLAAF flew 38 warplanes into Taiwan’s ADIZ, making it the largest number of daily sorties on record. Threatening? Of course. It’s strange the PRC doesn’t bother faking excuses anymore.”

Both Chinese aerial formations were sent through contested airspace near the disputed Patras islands, as The Hill describes based on official statements: 

Taiwan’s defense ministry said that on Friday night another round of Chinese military aircraft flew toward Taiwan, including 10 J-16 fighter jets, two H-6 bombers and one KJ-500 early warning aircraft. According to Reuters, those planes flew around the Bashi Channel.

Previously the record number of aircraft to breach the Taiwan ADIZ stood at 25, which had happened on a couple of occasions, with the first last April.

These threatening PLA incursions have only caused Taipei to double down on increased military spending, as well as its willingness to receive weapons from Washington.

For example Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement a week ago that “In the face of severe threats from the enemy, the nation’s military is actively engaged in military building and preparation work, and it is urgent to obtain mature and rapid mass production weapons and equipment in a short period of time.”