Taiwan detects Chinese aircraft & vessels near island as Xi issues fresh warning to Taipei

After Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to never renounce the right to use force over Taipei,  the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence detected 5 PLA military aircraft in Taiwan's 'surrounding region' on Sunday. The Taiwanese armed forces are monitoring the situation and have responded to these activities with naval vessels and land-based missile systems, said the National Defence Ministry. Taiwan has been facing such incursions for a long time but they have increased in frequency since Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, as per reports from Axios. 

"5 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around our surrounding region were detected today (Oct. 16, 2022) until 1700(GMT+8). #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded to these activities with aircraft in CAP, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems," reads the statement from Taiwan's ministry of National Defence. 

PLA's moves come during China's 20th Communist Party Congress

This comes at a time when China is witnessing its 20th Party Congress, where Xi Jinping is set to become China's leader for a third time. The 20th Communist Party congress opened in Beijing, with Chinese President and Communist party's General Secretary Xi Jinping pledging to “reunify” China by bringing Taiwan under the mainland’s control. Xi said that China will “take all necessary measures” to quell “separatist movements”, by force if necessary. Xi Jingping also defended his increasingly zero-Covid policy, which has reportedly negatively impacted China's economy. He termed the measures to contain the virus an “all-out people’s war”. 

Taiwan separated from the mainland when Chiang Kai Shek's KMT lost the Chinese civil war and Mao's communist party won the war. Chiang Kai Shek and his supporters went to the island of Formosa, as it was known at that time, and established the Republic of China, whilst Mao established the People's Republic of China in Beijing. China has been increasing its military spending for years, as per assessments by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, especially focussing on its navy.