Taiwan’s military said Sunday it would discuss with the United States how to use funds from a $95 billion legislative plan in Taipei to provide aid, mainly to Ukraine and Israel, as Chinese warplanes again approach the island.
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, the United States remains Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier.
Democratically-ruled Taiwan is facing increasing military pressure from China, which considers the island its own territory. The Taiwanese government denies these claims.
The Defense Department thanked the US House of Representatives for passing the package on Saturday, saying it demonstrated US “rock-solid” support for Taiwan.
The Ministry of National Defense added that it will “coordinate relevant budget objectives with the United States through existing communication systems and strive to strengthen combat readiness capabilities and ensure national security and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Taiwan has complained about delays in supplying US weapons such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles from 2022 as the manufacturer focuses on supplies to Ukraine to help the country fight off an invasion by Russian forces.
Fourteen Chinese military aircraft have flown across the sensitive middle line of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said Sunday morning, adding that Taiwan is facing pressure from China.
The central line was the unofficial border between the two countries and was not crossed by troops from either side, but the Chinese Air Force now regularly sends in aircraft. China says it does not recognize the existence of the line.
Some Chinese aircraft were within 40 nautical miles (70 kilometers) of Taiwan’s northern and southern territories on Saturday, but were outside the contiguous zone and 24 nautical miles from Taiwan’s coast, according to a map provided by Taiwan’s defense ministry.
Taiwan’s territorial waters are 12 nautical miles from its coast. Taiwan has previously reported that Chinese military aircraft approached but did not enter contiguous territory.
Taiwan’s armed forces were able to respond with tracking using their own aircraft and land-based missile systems, said Wang Dingyu, a senior lawmaker from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and a member of the National Assembly’s defense and foreign affairs committee.
“But what the Chinese Communist Party has done is provocative and highly irresponsible,” he said on social media.
On Saturday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said China was once again conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” with Chinese warships and warplanes around Taiwan.
China’s defense ministry did not return a call for comment outside office hours on Sunday.
Tags: Chinas warplanes contacted Taiwan discuss financial aid
