(11 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hsinchu Air Base, Hsinchu, Taiwan - 11 December 2024
1. Military jet on runway before taking off
2. Wide of military jets taxiing
3. Various of military jets taking off
4. Wide of Hsinchu Air Base
STORYLINE:
Military jets were seen taking off from the Hsinchu Air Base in Taiwan on Wednesday after a large Chinese military force was detected near the island.
It comes as Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is unilaterally undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Taiwan defense officials say they have detected Chinese ships since Monday, both off Taiwan and farther out along the first-island chain.
They described the formations as two walls designed to demonstrate that the waters belong to China.
China restricted airspace off its southeast coast from Monday to Wednesday, an indication that it was planning to hold drills, but the country's People's Liberation Army has not confirmed whether it is doing so.
Taiwan has been expecting drills following stops by its president, Lai Ching-te, in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam during an overseas trip last week.
China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and opposes any official contact with America and other foreign governments.
A Chinese spokesperson didn't comment directly on any military exercises but said in a statement posted online Wednesday that the government would not let provocations by Taiwan in collusion with external forces go unchecked.
The Taiwan Strait is a 160-kilometer- (100-mile-) wide body of water between China and the island of Taiwan.
China's military held major exercises around Taiwan following both Lai's inauguration in May and his national day speech in October.
It also held a major drill after Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan in 2022.
AP video shot by Jonah Kuh
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