Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Saturday it spotted 41 Chinese military aircraft around the island in 24 hours, a day after Beijing said Taiwan’s “hardline” independence supporters could face the death penalty.
China claims self-governing democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will never give up the use of force to bring it under its control.
It has also stepped up pressure on Taipei in recent years, holding military exercises around the island after the inauguration of new Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te last month.
On Saturday, Taipei’s Defense Ministry said it spotted 41 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels operating around Taiwan during the 24 hours leading up to 6:00 a.m. (01:00 a.m. Cyprus time).
“32 of the aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to the line that bisects the 180-kilometer seaway separating Taiwan from China.
The ministry added that it “monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
The latest incident came after China published judicial guidelines on Friday that included the death penalty for “particularly serious” cases of “hardline” supporters of Taiwan’s independence, state media reported.
On May 25, Taiwan spotted 62 Chinese military aircraft around the island in a 24-hour period, the highest number in a single day this year, as China staged military exercises after the inauguration of Lai, whom Beijing considers a “dangerous separatist”.
