Taiwan deplores Chinese air force's incursion, accuses Beijing of damaging regional peace

Taiwan has accused China of engaging in military aggression and damaging regional peace after 38 Chinese aircraft entered the island's nations air defence zone.

"China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday morning.

Taiwan on Friday said 38 Chinese warplanes entered its air identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, in what appears to be the biggest incursion by Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) since Taipei began publicly reporting such activities last year, Taiwan News reported.

PLA Air Force aircraft came in two waves, CNN reported citing Taiwan's Defence Ministry.

A many as 25 PLA warplanes entered the southwestern corner of the ADIZ during daylight hours, and another 13 planes entered the island's southwest ADIZ on Friday night, the ministry said in a statement.

The later flight included 10 J-16s, two H-6s and one KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft, it added.

The incident took place on the day when China was celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People Republic of China (PRC).

Since mid-September last year, Beijing has stepped up its grey-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

( With inputs from ANI )

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