Taiwan Reports 9 Chinese Planes Flew Through Its Air Defense Zone

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry announced the incursion of nine Chinese Air Force planes Thursday morning into its air defense zone as the island nation’s government condemned Russia’s military invasion of Taiwan.

What Happened: The Defense Ministry reported via Twitter at 8:22 a.m. EST that “air patrols were dispatched to respond” to the incursion, with “radio warnings issued and air defense missile systems deployed to monitor the activities.” The incident occurred to the northeast of Taiwan’s Pratas Islands.

The Defense Ministry identified the Chinese squadron as consisting of eight J-16 sorties and a Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft.

China has claimed Taiwan as part of its territory ever since 1949 when Mao Zedong established a Communist regime on the Chinese mainland and the government of Chiang Kai-Shek fled to Taiwan. While China has repeatedly made threats to regain Taiwan by force, it instead has used economic and diplomatic pressure to isolate Taiwan from the community of nations.

See Also: China Urges 'Cool Headed' And 'Rational' Approach As Russian Forces Invade Ukraine — But Tows Russian Line

Why It Happened: The concern over a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was increased with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Spokeswoman Joanne Ou held a press briefing this morning to say the Taiwanese government offered "deep regret and condemnation of Russia's military aggression that has raised tensions in the region."

According to a Taiwan News report, Ou pointed out that the invasion violated Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter — although Taiwan was expelled from the UN in 1971 in favor of China, Chiang’s government was a signatory to the Charter in 1945, four years before Mao took control of the mainland.

Ou added the foreign ministry would monitor the situation in Ukraine, adding the government would join the U.S. and other countries opposed to the invasion, offering to "take appropriate actions" to assist Ukraine and bring regional peace and stability.

The Ishares Msci Taiwan ETF EWT is down about 4% at press time.

Photo: Matthew Fang / Flickr Creative Commons