Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced today that in the last 24 hours it detected 153 Chinese warplanes operating around the island, as well as Beijing is conducting a new round of military exercises.
The Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday called on China to respect the Taiwanese people’s choice for a free and democratic way of life and refrain from military provocations.
But Japan has also expressed its concerns to China over military exercises held around Taiwan, Vice Prime Minister Kazuhiko Aoki said during a press conference. “We are aware of yesterday’s military exercises carried out by China around Taiwan. The government is following relevant developments with serious interest and has informed the Chinese side of our concerns,” Aoki said today.
China’s Defense Ministry yesterday vowed to take action against Taiwan if necessary after holding day-long military exercises around the island. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory.