Chinese fighter jets enter Taiwan during top US official's visit

Chinese fighter jets flew over the Taiwan Strait on Monday during the visit of a high-ranking US official to offer its strong support to the island nation.

The Taiwanese government said the J-11 and J-10 fighter jets of China’s air force briefly entered its side by crossing the midline of the Taiwan Strait on Monday, as its anti-aircraft missiles tracked them, Reuters reported.

The Chinese move came during the visit to Taiwan by US Secretary of health and human services Alex Azar, offering president Donald Trump’s support to the nation.

The Chinese jets flew over the strait just hours before Azar was to meet Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen, Reuters quoted the Taiwan Air Force as saying. They retreated on seeing Taiwanese aircraft, the Air Force said.

A senior Taiwan official said the jets were within the range of the anti-aircraft missiles.

China did not offer any comment, Reuters reported.

China considers Taiwan to be a part of it and has condemned the visit of Azar, the highest US official to visit the island nation in about 40 years. It had even warned of retaliation.

The US plans to strengthen its Taiwan amid growing tensions with the Asian giant. US president Trump has imposed several trade sanctions on China and has put restrictions on Chinese companies.

The Taiwanese military has often detected Chinese presence in its air zone. In June, Chinese fighter jets entered Taiwan’s airspace 7-8 times in just two weeks.

Taiwan said this is the third time since 2016 that Chinese jets had flown past the mid-line of the 180-kilometre-wide Taiwanese Strait, which separates the tiny nation from its large neighbour.

In view of the Chinese threat, Taiwan has been ramping up its defence capabilities. It recently tested an advanced trainer jet. In fact, on the day of the testing, Chinese jets had flown into Taiwan’s territory and were “driven” away by the small nation’s patrolling aircraft.