The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said that it had spotted a record number of 103 Chinese military aircraft flying around the island. We read it in a note.

The 103 Chinese warplanes detected around Taiwan in the 24 hours up to 6 p.m. local time (midnight in Italy) are the highest number ever announced in more than two years of daily updates, although the Ministry of Defense in Al Jazeera spoke only about the “recent rises” and China admitted that the initiative causes “major challenges” to the security of relations across the Taiwan Strait. The ministry noted that Beijing’s repeated military actions “could easily lead to a sharp escalation in tensions and worsen the regional security situation,” calling on China to “immediately stop unilateral destructive actions.” Moreover, the massive display of PLA power occurred when the head of Chinese diplomacy and the Communist Party, Wang Yi, participated in the second day of talks with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in Malta, aimed at achieving stability. Bilateral relations and preparations for a possible summit between the presidents of the two countries. Wang then presented the Taipei issue as “the first insurmountable red line in Sino-US relations: the United States must abide by the three joint communiques and implement the commitment not to support Taiwan independence,” according to a memo on Beijing’s diplomacy. Of the 103 aircraft, 40 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the air defense identification zone southeast of the island, simulating a type of air blockade. The Ministry of Defense, which also acquired 9 Chinese warships, responded by mobilizing air and naval forces to monitor the developing situation, as well as ground-based missile defense systems. Over the weekend, Beijing’s state media officially announced a series of naval military exercises (September 11-15) involving the aircraft carrier Shandong and dozens of other warships. During the mission, Shandong hosted about 40 combat aircraft and 20 helicopter sorties, according to a tally by the Japanese Defense Ministry.

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