China says Taiwan should not ‘interfere’ in its air force missions around island
BEIJING, May 28 (Reuters) – The defense ministry in Beijing said on Thursday that Taiwan should “not interfere” with Chinese air force missions around the island that are being carried out in Chinese airspace, in response to a week of maneuvers complained about by Taipei.
China considers democratically governed Taiwan to be its own territory, despite objections from the Taipei government, and warplanes and warships fly around the island almost daily.
On Monday this week and Tuesday last week, Taiwan said China was conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” and released images of Chinese warships as well as Chinese fighters taken by Taiwanese jets.
“Taiwan is part of China,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said in Beijing when asked to comment on the patrols. “Our aircraft are conducting military activities in Chinese airspace.”
“It would be better for the ‘Taiwan independence’ armed forces to refrain from interference and provocation,” he added.
China has called Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a “separatist” and rejected his calls for talks. Lai says only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
Jiang said the Chinese military will continue to strengthen its training and strengthen combat readiness, take action to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, and “resolutely defeat all forms of separatist activities and foreign interference.”
Taipei has been on high alert for further Chinese actions after President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with US President Donald Trump in Beijing this month.
Taiwan also reported that China has deployed more than 100 ships up and down the first island chain, which stretches from Japan to Taiwan to the Philippines.
Taiwan said over the weekend its coast guard confronted a Chinese coast guard ship near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top end of the South China Sea.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)
