Taiwan has stated it is monitoring the second Chinese “joint combat readiness patrol” near the island within a week, accusing Beijing of being the sole source of instability in the Asia-Pacific region.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said its forces had responded to the situation. The comments come after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier this month, where the two leaders discussed Taiwan.

China claims the self-governing island as part of its territory, while Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry reported detecting 29 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets, and seven warships operating around the island. Of the aerial sorties, 24 crossed the median line, an unofficial maritime and aerial buffer zone through the middle of the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing did not immediately comment, as it does not recognize the boundary. Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, accused China of being the sole source of instability in the region. “For the 2nd time in a week, shortly after the Beijing summit, the PLA conducted a ‘joint combat readiness patrol’ around Taiwan. We also spotted the Liaoning carrier group in the West Pacific. This is unprovoked. The PRC is the sole source of instability in the IndoPacific,” he wrote on X.

On Saturday, Wu said China had deployed over 100 ships along the first island chain, stretching from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines. Earlier this month, President Xi warned Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to conflict. Subsequently, Trump cautioned Taipei against declaring formal independence, prompting Taiwan to assert it is “sovereign and independent” but intends to maintain the status quo.

Trump recently said he would speak directly with Taiwan’s leader, a significant break from US protocol, as no direct talks have occurred since 1979. The US is Taiwan’s largest arms supplier, legally bound to provide self-defense means. In December, Trump approved the largest-ever US weapons package for Taiwan. However, last week Washington paused a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan to conserve munitions for the war on Iran.

Source: www.aljazeera.com