Taiwan's military warns it will counterattack without exception if Chinese forces enter its waters or airspace as Beijing's ships and planes move nearby

Jake Epstein
Updated ·3 min read
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Taiwan's Indigenous Defence Fighter jets release flares during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island, on July 28, 2022 in Pingtung, Taiwan.
Taiwan's Indigenous Defence Fighter jets release flares during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island, on July 28, 2022 in Pingtung, Taiwan.Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

  • Taiwan on Wednesday vowed to counterattack without exception if Chinese ships or planes violated its territory.

  • The remarks come as Chinese warplanes and vessels continue to maneuver near the island.

  • Taiwan fired warning shots at a Chinese drone for the first time on Wednesday.

Taiwan warned on Wednesday that it would exercise its right to self-defense and counterattack without exception if Beijing's forces entered the self-ruled island's territorial waters and airspace.

On Wednesday, the Chinese People's Liberation Army dispatched 62 aircraft and seven vessels into areas near Taiwan, the island's defense ministry shared in a statement. The collection of Chinese aircraft included Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, Shaanxi Y-8 EW and ASW transport planes, and the Xi'an JH-7 fighter/bomber.

Taiwan's defense ministry said that it responded to the situation with naval vessels, a combat air patrol, and land-based missile systems, which were used to monitor the nearby Chinese military activity. But during a news conference, military officials said they are willing to take further steps and defend itself if necessary.

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"The closer the incursions are to Taiwan, the stronger our countermeasures will be," Maj. Gen. Lin Wen-Huang, who serves as Taiwan's deputy chief of the general staff for operations and planning, told reporters at a press briefing, explaining that naval assets, aviation elements, and coastal fires could be used to dispel Chinese forces.

"For Chinese aircraft and ships that enter our territorial waters and airspace," within 12 nautical miles of the island, Lin explained, "the national army will exercise the right to self-defense and counterattack without exception."

So far, Chinese warplanes or ships have yet to move within 12 nautical miles of Taiwan's main island, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Wednesday's remarks, which also included a warning about how Taiwan would respond to incursions by Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles, come just one day after Taiwan fired warning shots at a Chinese drone for the first time, forcing it to fly back to mainland China.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have soared in recent months, especially in the lead up to and after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August 2 trip to the democratic island, which Beijing has long claimed as its own. Her controversial visit came amid a slew of warnings from China that it would conduct military exercises in response.

Since the visit, China has conducted war games near the island and repeatedly sent ships and jets into areas around Taiwan on a near-daily basis. Though Chinese warplanes routinely cross into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, they have as of late, been more regularly crossing the median line that divides the Taiwan Strait, a more provocative maneuver.

"Taiwan is a province of China and it does not have a "defense ministry," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Wednesday in response to remarks by Taiwan's military. "The act of the Taiwan authorities to heighten tensions does not mean anything."

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