Taiwanʼs Ministry of Defense said five Chinese planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan from mainland China.
This is reported by Reuters.
The agency also noted that on Sunday, August 21, five Chinese ships and 12 aircraft were discovered operating around Taiwan. Of these aircraft, five violated the line between Taiwan and China, which was defined in 1955.
- On August 3, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan for an official one-day visit. She became the highest-ranking US politician to visit Taiwan since 1997. In protest, China imposed sanctions on Pelosi and began four days of military exercises surrounding Taiwan. After these exercises, he announced new ones and declared that they would be "regular" from now on. Taiwan said the latest drills were like a "rehearsal for taking over the island".
- On August 9, China announced the continuation of military exercises around Taiwan — during them, operations on "joint defense and joint blockade of the island" will be practiced. At the same time, the Taiwanese army began artillery exercises in preparation for the islandʼs defense against a possible Chinese attack.
- The day before, the Chinese government published the "White Book", which it issues every two years. It outlines the countryʼs defense strategy. In a separate newsletter, entitled "Taiwan Question and Chinaʼs Unification in the New Era", the Chinese authorities promote the thesis of the inevitability of "complete reunification of the motherland". Beijing emphasizes that it is "ready to create a wide space for peaceful reunification" but does not rule out a forceful scenario of capturing the island, noting that "non-peaceful means will be used as a last resort in a situation where there is no choice."
- On August 11, Taiwanʼs Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it does not agree with the "one country, two systems" model proposed by China.
- On August 4, Japan protested to China that several missiles fired by its military during exercises near Taiwan fell near Japanese shores. Media reports that Japan is considering deploying 1,000 long-range cruise missiles to bolster its capabilities to counter Chinaʼs potential.