The PLA Air Force has sent record numbers of aircraft into Taiwan’s self-declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) for two days in a row. A record 39 PLA aircraft flew into the ADIZ on Oct. 2, breaking the record of 38 set on Oct. 1, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing statements from Taiwan’s defense ministry. In response, Taiwan’s air force scrambled fighter jets, issued radio warnings and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activity, the ministry said.
“The latest flyovers come as tensions across the Taiwan Strait continue to escalate, making it one of the most dangerous flashpoints between mainland China and the U.S.,” SCMP reports, citing the Biden Administration’s pursuit of closer relations with Taiwan. Speaking in Washington on Oct. 1, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks hyped U.S. backing for Taiwan: “We have a significant amount of capability forward in the region to tamp down any such potential. We have good relations, of course, with Taiwan. We have commitments to Taiwan that are enduring since the 1970s.”