Team News Riveting
Chinese warplanes have made 159 incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone in November, the second-highest monthly number on record.
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense began making the Chinese warplane incursions public in September last year and Agence France-Presse (AFP) has built a database collecting details of the flights that have been increasing in size and frequency. October remains the busiest month on record with 196 incursions, 149 of which were made over just four days as Beijing marked China’s National Day.
The month of November was the third in a row in which more than 100 warplanes have made forays. The incursions last month included 100 by fighter jets and nine by China’s nuclear-capable H6 bombers. Beijing has stuck to probing the southwestern part of zone.
Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016. The move has left apprehension among Western allies that China can invade Taiwan, even if it considers it unlikely for now.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon unveiled plans to reinforce deployments and bases directed at China, upgrading and expanding military facilities in Guam and Australia.
