China Sends 39 Aircraft To Taiwan's Buffer Zone; Analysts Say 'A Show Of Force' To US, Japan

China's offensive against Taiwan continued Sunday with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) sending 39 fighter jets into the self-ruled island's buffer zone.

This comes a day after the U.S. and Japan wound up their six-day-long joint drill in the South of Okinawa. According to analysts, this air display by Beijing is a "show of strength" to the allies, reported Focus Taiwan.

A statement by Taiwan’s defense ministry said the warplanes – including 34 fighter jets, four electronic warfare planes, and a bomber – entered the southwest of the island’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

"In response, our air force scrambled jets, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities of the PLA’s warplanes," the ministry said in a statement late on Sunday night.

This is the highest number of incursions in a single day this year. The highest ever was 56 planes, recorded on Oct. 4, 2021.

While such incursions have become a frequent occurrence since China stepped up wargames against Taiwan, analysts said Sunday’s fly-by, however, was a message towards Japan and the U.S.

Chieh Chung, an associate research fellow with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, told Focus Taiwan that Sunday's maneuvers did not pose a serious threat to Taiwan's security, rather was a bid to "showcase China's military prowess" to Tokyo and Washington.

"China used the incursion near the U.S.-Japan drill ground to show that Beijing will not back off from the show of force made by the two world powers in the region. The incursion was also made some distance away from Okinawa to make sure China was getting its message across without sparking a direct conflict," he added.

Lin Ying-yu, a research fellow at a Taipei think tank, agrees. "As soon as the United States and Japan wrapped up their joint drill near Okinawa, there came the sorties. Very likely the Chinese communists meant it for a show of firepower to the United States and Japan," Lin was quoted by the South China Morning Post.

According to Japanese media, the U.S. Navy and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) conducted a joint exercise from Monday to display their strong ties amid China's increasing maritime activities.

The six-day drill saw MSDF destroyer Hyuga joining 10 US Navy vessels, including two aircraft carriers – the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Abraham Lincoln. The report added that it was unusual for the U.S. military to send multiple aircraft carriers from bases on the US mainland to waters around Japan.