China conducts military demonstration ahead of Taiwan National Day... Tsai Ing-wen vows to focus on enhancing defense capabilities

Anti-submarine patrol aircraft again enters Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone... Taiwan fighter jets scramble urgently
222 sorties this year alone... President Tsai Ing-wen expresses determination to strengthen defense capabilities

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Taiwanese media reported on the 11th that Chinese military aircraft conducted a show of force military activity in the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) just before the National Day (Double Tenth Day) event attended by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense announced that one Chinese Y-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft entered the southwestern ADIZ of Taiwan the previous day.

The Ministry added that they urgently dispatched fighter jets on patrol flights to repel the aircraft with warning broadcasts and tracked and monitored it with ground-based air defense missiles to firmly secure the airspace's security.

Since the beginning of this year, the number of Chinese military aircraft appearing in the southwestern ADIZ of Taiwan has reached 222, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense.

As Chinese military aircraft violated the ADIZ ahead of the National Day event, the Taiwanese military authorities were reportedly on high alert.

In her National Day commemorative speech, President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her determination to enhance defense capabilities, stating, "Only by having a firm will and capability for defense can we guarantee Taiwan's security and protect regional peace."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

She said, "Our current defense principle is to dedicate ourselves to improving defense capabilities to reduce the risk of war," adding, "Facing military expansion and provocations across the sea, we will continue to strengthen the modernization of our defense forces and accelerate the development of asymmetric capabilities."

President Tsai emphasized, "I firmly believe that if Beijing accepts Taiwan's voice and changes its approach to cross-strait relations to engage in joint reconciliation and peaceful dialogue with Taiwan, regional tensions can be resolved. The urgent task now is to discuss the path of peaceful coexistence with mutual respect and goodwill."

Chinese authorities criticized President Tsai's speech, saying it was full of hostility and strongly intended to involve external forces.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China stated in a press Q&A released that afternoon, "Tsai Ing-wen's speech reveals confrontational thinking and hostility and incites (Taiwanese) independence," adding, "It also involves external forces to confuse public opinion in Taiwan and once again shows the essence of the Democratic Progressive Party's pursuit of independence."

The office further pointed out, "The fundamental cause of tension in cross-strait relations is that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities do not recognize the 'One China' principle," and accused the DPP of obstructing cross-strait exchanges and cooperation and engaging in a series of acts to pursue independence.

The office also stated, "We want the DPP to immediately stop its provocative words and actions pursuing independence," and urged, "Do not continue down the wrong path and return to the political foundation track of the '1992 Consensus' (an agreement reached in 1992 to acknowledge 'One China' while each side may use its own name)."

Meanwhile, separate from the anti-submarine patrol aircraft's ADIZ entry, the Chinese military conducted an amphibious landing exercise the previous day.

China's state-run CCTV reported that the 73rd Group Army of the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command, stationed in Xiamen, Fujian Province facing Taiwan, conducted a joint amphibious landing operation in the waters of Guangdong and Fujian provinces. The operation included night surprise attack drills and simulated island assault scenes involving China's 4th generation latest fighter, the J-15.

The Chinese military plans to conduct military exercises in parts of the Bohai Sea between Dalian in Liaoning Province and Yantai in Shandong Province from the 11th to the 13th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.