Chinese aircraft and navy conduct drills around Taiwan in warning against ‘external interference’ | World News

China has conducted more military drills around Taiwan in a warning against “external interference”.

Taiwan said it was placing its forces on alert and called the Chinese government “the biggest destroyer of peace”.

Air, sea and rocket troops were dispatched to take part in the joint exercises around the island, which Beijing continues to insist must come under its rule.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said 89 Chinese military aircraft and drones were detected, with 67 entering Taiwan’s response area.

The country’s transport ministry said it will divert international flights from what it says are dangerous areas or issue alternative flight routes to ensure safety.

Chinese aircraft frequently fly near Taiwanese airspace as tensions persist in the Taiwan Strait.

The drills came after Beijing expressed anger at US weapons sales to Taiwan and a statement from Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said her military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan.

Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a Chinese military spokesperson, said the drills would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, southwest, southeast and east of the island.

Col Shi said the activities would focus on sea-air combat readiness patrol, “joint seizure of comprehensive superiority” and blockades on key ports.

It was also the first large-scale military drill where the command publicly mentioned one of the goals was “all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain”.

“It is a stern warning against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and external interference forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China’s sovereignty and national unity,” Col Shi said.

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Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said rapid response exercises were underway, with forces on high alert to defend the island.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s targeted military exercises further confirm its nature as an aggressor and the biggest destroyer of peace,” the ministry said.

The ministry also claimed that the drill areas include Taiwan’s territorial waters.

Taiwan has been ruled separately from China since 1949 following the civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in the mainland.

The island has operated since then with its own government, though Beijing still claims it as sovereign territory.