BEIJING. China has sent 13 military aircraft to breach Taiwan’s southwestern defense identification space: the island’s defense ministry reported in a statement that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) employed a Y-8 EW, two H-6s, one Y-8 ASW, six combat J-16s, two J-10s and one KJ-500. The incursion matured on the day Nicaragua decided to break diplomatic relations with Taipei to restart them with Beijing, bringing down to 14 the number of countries that have official relations with Taiwan worldwide, including the Vatican, the only one in Europe.
According to the Taipei Defense Ministry’s findings, among the 13 aircraft sent from Beijing, 6 were J-16 fighters and two were H-6 strategic bombers. The incursion is one of the largest since the beginning of last October, when, in just five days, 150 Chinese aircraft breached Taiwan’s air defense identification space, coinciding with Nicaragua’s passage to Beijing’s recognition. , after 31 years of diplomatic ties with Taipei, which now have only 14 allies in the world left. China has increased diplomatic and economic pressures on the island, which it claims as part of its national territory and destined for “reunification” with the People’s Republic of China, and has increased the pressure on the military level, arousing international and national concerns. Taiwan, according to which Beijing has the means for a large-scale invasion of the island as early as 2025.