Since last August, China has regularly sent jets across the Taiwan Strait’s median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Eight Chinese war planes crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line and approached close to the island’s contiguous zone that is 24 nautical miles (44.4 km) off its coast on Saturday, June 24, the Taiwanese defense ministry said, in a further rise in tensions.
China’s air force over the past three years has routinely flown into the air space around Taiwan. And since last August it has regularly sent jets across the strait’s median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier.
In March, Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned that the island had to be on alert this year for a “sudden entry” by the Chinese military into areas close to its territory.
Taiwan defines its contiguous zone as being 24 nautical miles from its coast. Its territorial space is defined at 12 nautical miles from its coast, although the government has not reported Chinese aircraft coming that close.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement that starting from around 8 am (0000GMT) on Saturday, it had detected 19 Chinese warplanes, including J-10 and J-16 fighters.
Eight of those crossed the median line and “got close” to the 24 nautical mile mark, it said.
At the same time, the ministry said five Chinese warships carried out what it termed “joint combat readiness patrols.”
Taiwan sent up its own aircraft and dispatched ships in response and activated land-based missile systems, the ministry said, using standard wording for how its forces react to Chinese incursions.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan’s government rejects the claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future. – Rappler.com
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It raises some questions.
It doesn’t mention that Taiwan claims China, making it seem like China is unique in claiming Taiwan.
It doesn’t mention when the median line stopped being an unofficial border.
It doesn’t tell us why or whether anyone has a right to territorial sovereignty outside their nautical line.
It doesn’t tell us whether Taiwan, or the US, has every crossed the median line in the other direction.
It tells us what Taiwan thought of the flights. But it didn’t tell us what China thought.
It also doesn’t mention what Taiwan and the US were doing immediately before the flights.
Would the inclusion of these details change the tenor or implications of the text? If so, why have they been omitted?