Xi's China sends 45 aircraft around Taiwan ahead of new president's inauguration
A model of the Chinese Fighter aircraft is seen in front of Chinese and Taiwanese flags
Less than a week before Taiwaninaugurates its new president, 45 Chinese aircraft were detected around the self-ruled island in yet another violation ofTaiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) by Chinese leader Xi Jinping's forces.
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"26 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait," Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement, referring to a line bisecting the 180-kilometre (110-mile) waterway that separates Taiwan from China.
The Taiwaneseministry added that it had "monitored the situation and responded accordingly".
China claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own and has never renounced the use of force to occupy the island nation that very few countries in the world have accepted as a sovereign nation.
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On Tuesday (May 14) evening, 23 Chinese aircraft — including fighter jets and drones — were detected around Taiwan during a two-hour period, Taiwan's defence ministry said.
Beijing maintains a near-daily presence of warplanes, drones and naval assets around Taiwan as part of its strategy to up military pressure on Taipei.
The largest ever seen around Taiwan was last September when Beijing sent in 103 warplanes and aircraft. Of these, 40 aircraft reportedly crossed the median line.
Experts have flagged these as "grey zone tactics". That is, they are not outright acts of war but they serve to exhaustTaipei's military.
Chinese deployment of maritime assets around Taiwan
Apart from show of force with warplanes, Beijing has also deployed coast guard ships and other official fishery vessels around Taiwan's outlying island of Kinmen since February.
Kinmen as seen in a Google Earth Map | Not to Scale
On Tuesday (May 13), five Chinese coast guard ships sailed through Kinmen's "restricted waters" for three hours before leaving, Taiwan's coast guard said.
The Taiwanese coast guard said that Chinese sailings"seriously affect navigation safety and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait".
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"We urge the Chinese side to exercise self-restraint and immediately cease this irrational behaviour," it said.
Lai, like outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, rejects Beijing's claim over Taiwan.