There’s been a dangerous buildup of tensions in the Western Pacific, this time stemming from Tsai Ing-wen’s “transit” of the U.S., last week, including a stop at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, where she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on April 5. The Taiwan Defense Ministry reported that on April 8, the PLA Air Force surrounded Taiwan with aircraft a day after sending 71 planes across the Taiwan Strait median line. As of noon yesterday, a total of 31 warplanes and 9 warships either crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or flew into the southwestern part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the defense ministry said, without providing any further breakdown of the routes, reported Focus Taiwan. The ministry said the nation’s armed forces were monitoring the situation, and that they will remain on constant high alert while making every effort to defend the country’s sovereignty and national security.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, said on April 8 that the PLA Eastern Theater Command launched combat readiness security patrol encircling the Taiwan Island and carried out “Joint Sword” exercise, which will last from April 8-10 Beijing time as scheduled.
