On Sunday, two Chinese jet fighters crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait that separates Taiwan from China in what some analysts describe as an intentional move by Beijing to push back against US maritime activity in the region and its support for Taiwan. A day earlier, various Chinese jets had crossed the Miyako Strait between Japan’s islands of Okinawa and Miyako.
Taiwan condemned the incident, calling it a “reckless and provocative” action by the Chinese government. Even though China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its own territory, Chinese jets have not intentionally crossed the median line in about two decades. Last week, Taiwan announced that it was planning to purchase new F-16 fighters and tanks from the US. In response, China stated that such sales would be “dangerous.”
Read more: Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion