China Sends A Record 39 Warplanes Into Taiwan's Airspace; US Calls It 'Provocative'

China continued with its military aggression towards Taiwan by sending a record-breaking 39 warplanes into the island Saturday, a move which the U.S. termed as "provocative."

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent 39 warplanes, including J-16s and Su-30, a day after it sent 38 aircraft in two waves on China’s October 1 National Day. Friday's sortie comprised J-16s, Su-30s and two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, reported BBC News.

Taiwan reportedly scrambled aircraft to warn away the Chinese warplanes, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

The "aerial aggression by Beijing" comes ahead of Taiwan’s National Day on October 10. Taiwan has been seeing an uptick in Chinese incursions into its Air Defence Identification Zone in the last year. "China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday.

The move has also infuriated the U.S. which described the move as "provocative" and "destabilizing" military activity. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price on Sunday urged Beijing to cease its "military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."

“The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,” Price said in a statement.

The U.S. has reiterated its commitment to Taiwan claiming it is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.

The Chinese incursion eclipsed the June sortie involving 28 Chinese air force aircraft.

Beijing is often said to carry out such missions to express displeasure at comments made by Taiwan. According to reports, the latest provocation coincides with Taiwan's request to join the 11-nation CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) trade deal. China had lashed out against the move saying "There is only one China in the world," spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, "and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory."

Beijing has continuously tried to push back against Taiwan’s presence in international bodies and to alienate the few remaining countries that continue to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

China views Taiwan as its province, although both have been ruled separately since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The Chinese president has also not ruled out the use of force to unify Taiwan.