China says flyovers in Strait a ‘solemn warning’
AFP, BEIJING
Chinese military exercises near Taiwan are a “solemn warning to external forces,” Beijing said yesterday, after the new US government expressed strong support for Taiwan.
The US Department of State over the weekend said that US commitment to Taiwan was “rock-solid,” as Taiwan reported multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown into its air defense identification zone.
Taiwan issued warnings and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the flyover, which on Saturday consisted of bombers, fighter jets and anti-submarine aircraft.
The Chinese navy conducts a military exercise near Taiwan in an undated photograph.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, is making the free-of-charge offer at a time when the democratic island has yet to begin vaccinations of its own.