25 Chinese air force planes crossed Taiwan Strait's median line in last 24 hours: Taipei

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Sunday (August 20) that in the last 24 hours, 25 Chinese air force planes crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides. As per a map published by the ministry, the planes included Su-30 and J-11 fighter jets, though there was no immediate sign that China was continuing its exercises on Sunday.

According to a report by the news agency Reuters, Taiwanese officials said China was likely to conduct military exercises near the island. On Saturday, China held military drills in Taiwan as an angry response to Vice President William Lai's recent trip to the United States. According to a report by the Xinhua news agency, the drills were meant to test the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) ability "to seize control of air and sea spaces" and fight "in real combat conditions."

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Condemning the drills, Taiwan said it would dispatch "appropriate forces" to respond "with practical actions".

It's not up to China to decide who wins Taiwan poll: Lai

Taiwanese Vice President Lai said the island's next year election was a choice between democracyand autocracy, adding it was not up to China to decide who winsthe election. In an interview broadcast late Saturday with a Taiwanese television station, but conducted while he was in the US, Lai said, "It's not who China likes today, and then they can assume the post. This goes against the spirit of Taiwan's democracy, and represents huge damage to Taiwan's democratic system."

Lai added that there was no cause for China to make a fuss over nothing when it came to overseas travel by Taiwanese leaders. "My position is that Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China. We are willing to link up with the international community and talk to China under the guarantee of security," he further said.

US urges China to stop puttingpressure onTaiwan

Meanwhile, the US on Saturday urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan and engage in meaningful dialogue with the island. "We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan," a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters.

The US would continue to monitor the exercises closely, the spokesperson added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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