Taiwan says it will fight back if China violates its airspace or territorial waters

Taiwan confirmed this Wednesday that it will exercise its right to self-defense and “counterattack” if Chinese aircraft and ships enter its territorial space, after a series of major Chinese military exercises around the island.

Taiwan – with autonomous government and home to 23 million people – lives under the constant threat of invasion from Chinawhich declares this democratically ruled island part of its territory and promises one day to return it, if necessary by force.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have reached their highest level in years since the visit of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosito the island in early August.

Within a week, China decided to respond with land and sea military maneuvers not seen since the mid-1990s, including drone flights over the Kinmen Islands.

Taiwanese counterattack

When asked Taiwan will respond if Chinese aircraft and warships enter its territorial waters or airspace, a defense ministry spokesman said that “the closer to Taiwan the invasion, the stronger the countermeasures will be.”

“We will use naval and air forces, as well as coastal fire, to repel PLA (People’s Liberation Army of China) forces invading our 24-mile and 12-mile zones,” the general said. Lin Wen Huangdirector of operations and planning department.

“When PLA aircraft and ships are within 12 nautical miles of our territorial waters and airspace, we will act in accordance with operational orders to exercise the right to self-defense and strike back,” he said at a press briefing.

Lin also stated that Taiwan “He will resist when asked about the recent series of drone flights over Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands, some of them to monitor military outposts. (AFP)