China has been accused of stepping up its preparations for a war with Taiwan after jets were spotted circling above the island.
An expert has warned Beijing could be plotting an invasion in order to take over the island just east of the mainland by force.
Last week the Chinese jets – PLA Yun-8 planes – carried out what was described as ‘island encirclement patrols’ around Taiwan and state media showed pictures of bombers armed with cruise missiles.
Although imposing, it appears the stunt could have been to gather intelligence in preparation for a takeover.
Chinese troops march during a military parade marking the 70th Anniversary of the ‘Victory of Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War’ at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. China has been accused of stepping up its preparations for a war with Taiwan after jets were spotted circling above the island
An expert has warned Beijing could be plotting an invasion in order to take over the island just east of the mainland by force
Military observer Antony Wong Dong, based in Macau, told the Daily Express: ‘The recent “island encirclement” patrols are very unusual.
‘The air force is conducting very practical and well-planned patrols near Taiwan to collect up-to-date military intelligence.’
He said that previously such patrols were frequent and carried out as an act of symbolism, but he believes last Monday’s aerial manoeuvre was much more sinister.
‘Now, the mainland is deploying old and new generations of surveillance planes, fighter jets and other aircraft … indicating the PLA is stepping up its preparations for war against Taiwan,’ Dong added.
China and Taiwan split after a civil war in 1949, and while Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign nation, it has never formally declared independence.
Beijing says Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory and will be brought back into the fold at some point.
Chinese soldiers demonstrate their skill with bayonets during a military parade in Beijing. Last week the Chinese jets – PLA Yun-8 planes – carried out what was described as ‘island encirclement patrols’ around Taiwan and state media showed pictures of bombers armed with cruise missiles
At least one Chinese Air Force Yun-8 transport plane conducted a long-haul flight near Taiwan on Sunday, the island’s Defence Ministry said, amid simmering tensions between the two rivals.
Taiwan dispatched its aircraft and ships to ‘monitor and deal with’ the Yun8, which returned to its base after flying through the Bashi Channel and Miyako waterway, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan said.
It was unclear whether one plane or more made the flight.
There was no untoward incident and the public should not be alarmed, Feng said, but did not give further details.
China has considered Taiwan to be a wayward province since Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist troops fled to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communist forces on the mainland.
Beijing suspects Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party wants to declare the island’s formal independence.
Tsai says she wants to maintain peace with China but will defend the island’s security.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled democratic island under its control.
China has conducted numerous similar patrols near Taiwan this year, saying such practices have been normalised as it presses ahead with a military modernisation programme that includes building aircraft carriers and stealth fighters to give it the ability to project power far from its shores.
In September, the US Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2018 fiscal year, which authorises mutual visits by navy vessels between Taiwan and the United States.
That prompted a senior Chinese diplomat to say this month China would invade the island if any US warships made port visits there.
Beijing suspects Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (pictured) of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party wants to declare the island’s formal independence
China said on Thursday it lodged an official protest with the United States after President Donald Trump signed a defence budget that opens the possibility for US warships to visit self-ruled Taiwan.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang charged that the legislation, while non-binding, violates the one-China policy and ‘constitutes an interference in China’s domestic affairs’.
‘We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges or military links between Taiwan and the US, as well as US arms sales to Taiwan,’ Lu told a regular news briefing.
‘We hope that the US can fully grasp the damaging nature of the legislation’s Taiwan clause,’ he said.
Trump on Tuesday signed the budget, which includes a clause saying the United States should ‘consider the advisability and feasibility of reestablishing port of call exchanges between the United States navy and the Taiwan navy’.
China and Taiwan split after a civil war in 1949, and while Taiwan (pictured) sees itself as a sovereign nation, it has never formally declared independence
At the beginning of the month, Chinese media reported a diplomat from the Chinese embassy in the United States had warned that Beijing would take Taiwan back by force the day that a US warship enters a Taiwanese port.
The island has been a thorny issue in China-US relations, as Trump began his transition into office by taking a precedent-breaking phone call from Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen.
Trump mended ties by vowing to uphold the one-China policy shortly before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort, but infuriated Beijing again this summer by approving a $1.3billion arms sale to Taiwan.