Taiwan Intercepts 8 Chinese Military Aircraft, 3 Naval Ships Amid War Threats

Taiwan intercepted eight Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around the island nation between late Monday and early Tuesday, amid growing military threats from Beijing.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft that were spotted near the island nation included one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane that entered the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), Taiwan News reported.

No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time, Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported.

The island nation has been under constant threat from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and plans to take control of it. Tensions between the two nations have deepened with Beijing ramping up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the democratic island.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships along with land-based missiles to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 217 military aircraft and 57 naval ships around Taiwan.

Tensions between Beijing and Taipei further increased in August last year when U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a sudden trip to Taiwan, with the PLA staging military drills around the island as part of a protest.

Last week, China warned foreign politicians, who interact with Taiwan, are "playing with fire" as it renewed its threats.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the country was recommitted in the new year to "safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "smashing plots for Taiwan independence."

"The malicious support for Taiwan independence among anti-China elements in a few foreign countries is a deliberate provocation," Ma was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Herbert Raymond McMaster, a former National Security Adviser, said Monday he believes President Xi Jinping was "preparing the Chinese people for war."

"I think we have to be careful not to mirror image, not to fall into the same traps we did with Vladimir Putin, of confirmation bias and optimism bias," McMaster said, while speaking on CBS' "Face The Nation," hosted by Margaret Brennan. "China has become increasingly aggressive, not only from an economic and financial perspective and a wolf warrior diplomacy perspective, but physically, with its military."

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