On Saturday morning, the Chinese military sent 42 PLA fighter jets and eight warships to the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone. 29 of the planes crossed the midline, the de facto border between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait. A few hours earlier, an army spokesman he had announced that three days of exercises would be held to “test its combat readiness” in the north, south and east of Taiwan.
The Chinese military has sent planes and ships into the air and sea space around Taiwan on an almost daily basis for years, but has increased the frequency of meridian line crossings since last August. In this case, the new wave of exercises appears to be a direct response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States and her meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Despite governing itself independently for over 70 years, Taiwan is not recognized by much of the international community, and China considers it part of its territory, consequently interpreting any action in which it places itself or is treated as an independent state as a threat to his own authority.