Taiwan staged an air defense exercise as tension simmers over President Lai Ching-te’s upcoming Pacific trip. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry also reported two Chinese balloons near the island.
Taiwan’s military held a drill early on Tuesday with aircraft, ships and air defense missile systems, its Defense Ministry said, ahead of a trip by President Lai Ching-te to the Pacific.
Described as a “battle plan exercise,” the drill, which lasted more than two hours, aimed to “enhance the overall effectiveness of air defense operations and assess the response and engagement procedures of the air defense forces.”
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, frequently deploys fighter jets, drones, and warships around the democratically-ruled island to keep up military pressure.
“The Chinese [military] shoulders the sacred mission of safeguarding national sovereignty… and will resolutely crush all secessionist attempts for Taiwan independence,” Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry, said later on Thursday.
Chinese balloons reported
Taiwan has also complained of China flying balloons near the island as part of what it calls a pattern of harassment by Beijing.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported that it had detected two Chinese balloons over waters north of the island.
The balloons were sighted in two locations on Wednesday afternoon about 111 kilometers (69 miles) northwest and 163 kilometers north of the port city of Keelung, the ministry said.
Earlier, on Sunday, Taiwan also reported a Chinese balloon over the same waters.
Thirteen Chinese military planes and seven navy vessels were also spotted around the island in the 24 hours to 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, the ministry added.
Lai shoring up allies
Lai — who is called a “separatist” by China — is slated to leave on Saturday for a tour of Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.
The three nations are the only Pacific islands among TaipeI’s 12 remaining allies.
The Taiwanese leader will stop over in Hawaii and the United States territory of Guam during the trip, his office said on Thursday.
