China sends planes across Taiwan Straits median line

Nine Chinese aircraft crossed median line of the Taiwan Strait to carry out combat readiness patrols, said Taiwan defence ministry. The Chinese moves have come just days after Beijing threatened retaliation if Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meets Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of US House of Representatives.

Taiwan a democratically ruled island nation is viewed by China as its own territory. China has not ruled out use of force to retake Taiwan.

Tsai arrived in the United States on Wednesday, stopping on her way to Central America.

She is expected to meet McCarthy in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei in April, and China on Wednesday threatened unspecified retaliation if that meeting were to go ahead.

Taiwan's defence ministry said that Chinese aircraft crossed at points in south, centre and north of the Taiwan Strait's median line. The median line is an unofficial buffer between China and Taiwan.

Taiwan's armed forces responded using its own aircraft and ships to monitor the situation using the principle of "not escalating conflicts or causing disputes", the ministry said.

"The communist military's deployment of forces deliberately created tension in the Taiwan Strait, not only undermining peace and stability, but also has a negative impact on regional security and economic development," it said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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