The Chinese military is trying to deplete Taiwan’s armed forces with repeated missions, but Taiwan is unable to respond, Taipei’s defense minister said on Monday after a renewed increase in Chinese air force mobility.
On Sunday, 27 aircraft of the Chinese Air Force re-entered the air defense zone or ADIZ.
“Their intention is to exhaust us little by little,” Defense Minister Chi Kuo-cheng told reporters on the sidelines of a parliamentary briefing when asked about the latest Chinese airstrikes.
“Our national forces have shown that, while you have this power, we have countermeasures,” he said.
Taiwan has been complaining for a year about repeated Chinese air missions near the democratically ruled island.
Taiwan, which Beijing claims is its own and has not ruled out taking it by force, calls China’s activities a “gray zone” war.
Chiu, who described the situation as “very serious”, said Taiwan would continue to analyze the types of aircraft used by China to inform its future plans.
The latest Chinese mission included 18 fighter jets plus five nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, as well as, unusually, a Y-20 air refueling aircraft, the Taiwan Ministry of Defense said.
China has said in the past that such missions are designed to protect the country’s sovereignty.
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