Taipei [Taiwan], December 5 (ANI): Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said Friday it detected 14 sorties by People’s Liberation Army aircraft and five vessels of the People’s Liberation Army Navy operating around Taiwan up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8). According to a post on X, eight of the 14 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone.
“14 sorties of PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 8 out of 14 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded.” https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1996746343377985870?s=20
Separately, a former US defence official from the Biden administration voiced support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after her comments that Japan might assist in defending Taiwan, calling Beijing’s reaction “inappropriate,” the Taipei Times reported. Ely Ratner, who served as assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs from 2021 to this year, said Takaichi’s remarks echoed Japan’s official stance.
On November 7, Takaichi told parliament that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could be considered “a situation threatening Japan’s survival,” potentially prompting military action. She is thought to be the first Japanese leader in decades to openly suggest a Taiwan Strait crisis could lead to Japanese military involvement.
Her statement angered China, which has taken retaliatory measures such as issuing warnings against travel and study in Japan and halting the resumption of Japanese seafood imports. Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, posted (now deleted) that Takaichi should be “decapitated”. (ANI)
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