Tension in Asia: Taiwan discovered 10 fighter jets and four ships belonging to the Chinese army in its vicinity

Taiwanese authorities reported on Saturday They discovered 10 fighters and four ships Chinese armed forces in the vicinity of the island due to increasing tension between the two parties.

The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense indicated that at 6:00 local time 10 planes around TaiwanOf which Two aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island's air defense identification zone.

For their part, the Taiwanese authorities spread the word Various air and sea patrols To monitor the situation, in addition to several ground-based missile systems, according to the statement.

During decades, Both sides respected the dividing line Despite the fact that Beijing considers Taiwan part of the country. However, since 2019, Chinese military aircraft and balloon strikes have occurred almost daily.

Taiwan was the last stronghold that Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army was unable to capture during the revolution that ended in 1949, so the island officially remains the Republic of China, unlike the People's Republic of China with its capital in Beijing.

The Chinese government considers the island part of the country and under its sovereignty, and has warned against this Able to impose its control, even by force. Taiwan, for its part, enjoys the support of the United States and its allies.

And in another matter, this week, Taiwan's last three allies in the South Pacific Marshall Islands, Tuvalu And PalauThey affirmed their loyalty to the self-governing island, after neighboring Nauru cut diplomatic ties with Taipei to establish those ties with Beijing.

“The Republic of the Marshall Islands values ​​the strong relationship with the Republic of China (Taiwan) as an indispensable partner in promoting democratic principles. RIM reaffirms its diplomatic alliance with Taiwan,” confirms a comment posted by the Ministry of Commerce's official Facebook page.

In the same vein, Palau took to its government page on that social network to highlight on Tuesday its “union with the Republic of China and Taiwan, a nation built on democratic principles,” while congratulating President-elect Lai Ching-te (William Lai) for his election victory.

For his part, Tuvalu's Prime Minister, Kosia Natano, sent a letter this week to the Taiwanese embassy in the country to reaffirm his commitment to the island, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Marshall Islands and Palau maintain a long defense relationship with the United States, while Tuvalu signed a security and immigration agreement with Australia in November.

The three island nations' statements come after Nauru's government announced on Monday that it was severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan, becoming the latest Oceania country to turn toward Beijing.

(With information from Europa Press and EFE)