China conducts combat patrols after warning Taiwan of US meeting

Nine Chinese aircraft flew through the middle of the Taiwan Strait on combat readiness patrols on Friday, days after Beijing threatened retaliation if Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meets with US Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Taiwan’s defense ministry said.

China, which claims to rule Taiwan democratically as its own territory despite fierce opposition from the island’s government, has been angered by what it sees as increased US support for Taiwan.

Tsai arrived in the US on Wednesday, a stop on her tour of Central America.

He is expected to meet with McCarthy in Los Angeles on his way back to Taipei in April, and China on Wednesday threatened unspecified retaliation if the meeting took place.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said nine Chinese aircraft flew past points north, center and south of the middle of the strait, which is an unofficial barrier between the two sides.

Taiwan’s armed forces responded by using its own aircraft and ships to monitor the situation using a policy of “not escalating conflicts or causing disputes”, the ministry said.

“Communist military forces deliberately created tension across the Taiwan Strait, not only undermining peace and stability, but also negatively impacting regional security and economic development,” it said in a statement.

The ministry condemned “such unfair practices”.

There was no immediate response from China.