Taiwan and China military tensions are intensifying and becoming their worst times in more than 40 years, the island’s defence minister said on Wednesday.
Just ays after record numbers of Chinese aircraft flew into the island’s air defence zone, the Taiwanese top military official stressed. Last week, the Chinese military aircraft have repeatedly flown through Taiwan’s air defence identification zone that caused tensions have hit a new high between Taipei and Beijing.
While China claims the democratic island as its own territory, the island’s authorities have another vision. Asked by a lawmaker on the current military tensions with China at the parliament, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the situation was “the most serious” in more than 40 years since he joined the military, adding there was a risk of a “misfire” across the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
“For me as a military man, the urgency is right in front of me,” he told a parliamentary committee reviewing a special military spending of T$240 billion (USD11.7 bn) for home-made weapons including missiles and warships.
Taiwan and China intensify arms sales
China sees Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the mainland, by force if necessary, StraitsTimes report. Meantime, Taiwan says it will defend its freedoms and democracy, blaming China for the tensions.
Taiwan reported one Chinese air force aircraft entered its air defence zone on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s main military supplier, the United States, has confirmed its “rock-solid” commitment to Taiwan and also criticised China. Beijing blames Washington’s policies of supporting Taiwan with arms sales and sending warships through the Taiwan Strait for raising tensions.
