1 Chinese Aircraft, 3 Warships Detected Around Island: Taiwan Ministry

Taipei, Taiwan: After President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported on Thursday that a Chinese anti-submarine helicopter and three warships had been spotted near the self-governing island.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense stated that “1 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels were detected around Taiwan by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.”

The statement continued, “Armed Forces have monitored the situation and given orders for CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities.

The declaration was made after Tsai briefly encountered McCarthy in California while returning from a trip to Guatemala and Belize, two of Taiwan’s 13 diplomatic allies.

China had threatened to respond to the meeting in a “resolute” manner.

The island’s top body for determining China policy, the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei, charged Beijing on Wednesday with “obstructing” trade in the Taiwan Strait by conducting on-the-spot checks on cargo and passenger ships.

Without providing further information, Chinese maritime authorities had earlier stated that they were increasing patrols in the waters separating the island from the Chinese mainland.

According to the MAC, “the Chinese side’s action deliberately escalates cross-strait tensions.”

It is a blatant violation of maritime customs and the cross-strait shipping agreement, seriously harming regular traffic between the two sides.