After flying 28 warplanes over Taiwan, China says responding to “acts of collusion”

A day after China flew 28 warplanes into the Taiwanese airspace in what was the largest incursion till date, Beijing has said that it will not tolerate intervention of foreign forces in Taiwan issues.

The Chinese air force fleet included fighters and nuclear-capable bombers and entered the air defence identification zone (ADIZ) of Taiwan on June 15.

In a press conference, Ma Xiaoguang, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, blamed the Taiwanese government for the tensions. He said, “We will never tolerate attempts to seek independence or wanton intervention in the Taiwan issue by foreign forces, so we need to make a strong response to these acts of collusion."

The incursion came in the aftermath of a joint statement by G7 leaders condemning China on a number of issues. The statement also emphasized on the need to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Rising tensions in the region

Chinese-claimed Taiwan has developed into a prosperous democratically-ruled country in the recent years. The island nation has growing affinity with the west, fuelled by the dependence on its semiconductor manufacturing industry.   

Beijing has become increasingly wary of the Taiwanese government, led by Tsai Ing-Wen, seeking formal independence from China with the help of western powers.

In the last few months, China seems to have amplified military missions in the vicinity of the island. Taiwan has complained of air force missions concentrated in the southwestern part of its air defence zone, not far from the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

The latest act of browbeating saw the fleet of Chinese warplanes fly around the southern tip of the island, as per Taiwan's defence ministry.

The incursion took place on the same day that a US Navy fleet of aircraft carriers, led by the USS Ronald Reagan, entered the South China Sea.