China increased activity in Taiwan’s airspace on Sunday, flying 15 fighters between mainland Taiwan and the Silver Islands in the South China Sea, a report said.
Reuters, which quoted Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, said the jets included six J-10 fighters, two SU-30s and other military planes. A day earlier, China flew eight bombers and four fighters in the same airspace, the report said.
The show of strength was seen by some observers as a remarkable step by Beijing during the first week of President Biden’s term. Nikkei Asia reported that it is not uncommon for China to send aircraft to the region, but it is rare for the country to send more than 10 at once and for two consecutive days.
Ned Price, a US State Department spokesman, said Washington “notes with concern the ongoing PRC pattern [People’s Republic of China] attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan. “
“We urge Beijing to end its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” he said in the statement.
The Reuters report said the Taiwanese air force responded to the raid. Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state. The Beijing action was aimed at putting pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen’s government to yield to the requirement to recognize Taiwan as part of Chinese territory.
The team of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the South China Sea on Sunday to exercise “freedom of the seas”, and the Biden government said its commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid,” the Reuters report said.
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Antony Blinken, chosen by Biden to be secretary of state, has pledged to repair the damage done to the State Department and America’s image abroad over the past four years, while continuing a tougher approach for China.
Hsiao Bi-him, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, was also invited to Biden’s inauguration, which the BBC said was a sign of the White House’s new commitment.
China imposed sanctions on Wednesday on more than two dozen former Trump administration officials, including outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as soon as Biden was sworn in.
Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Argued on Sunday that the sanctions against former Trump administration officials are a “dangerous escalation” and “insidious of China’s effort to influence American policy”.
Fox News Talia Kaplan and the Associated Press contributed to this report