Taiwan claims China made record 380 incursions in 2020, says 'tensions now at highest'

Taiwan has said that Chinese jets made a record 380 incursions last year into the southwest Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), indicating that tensions between the two neighbours are at all-time-high. Taiwanese defence ministry spokesman Shih Shun-wen on Tuesday said China violated the ADIZ far more frequently in 2020 than previous years. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and often carries out military activity near the Strait in order to send a message to Taipei that it holds the capability to take over the island nation by force. 

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Taiwan-China relations

Relations between Taiwan and China deteriorated after the current Taiwanese President Tsai-Ing wen took over in 2016. Tsai-Ing wen dismisses Beijing's 'One-China' claim and also refuses to accept the '1992 Consensus'. China is accused of repeatedly using its military might to scare Taiwan into accepting its terms. However, Taiwan refuses to bow down in front of China's aggressive tactics in the South China Sea and is looking to make its relations stronger with the United States to counter the Asian giant. 

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Earlier last year, South China Morning Post had opined that China has increased the incursions into Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) so that the country spends most of its military budget in responding to the adventurism by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Some experts also believe that continuous violations are meant to exert pressure on the self-ruled island nation. 

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Last year, Taiwan's defence minister Yen Te-fa told the country's parliament they have spent 8 per cent of the total military budget of 2020 in responding to the incursions by PLA along the Formosa Strait. Earlier, it was reported that when Taiwanese pilots asked PLA pilots to respect the median line and return back to their side, the Chinese men responded by shouting at them over the radio and saying there is no median line so they "should not be interrupted" while doing routine training. 

Taiwan has repeatedly called for "meaningful dialogue" with China, but Beijing rejects holding any possible discussion with Taipei, calling it a "breakaway province". 

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