Taiwan says 8 Chinese warships in waters around island --- Agence France-Presse

TAIPEI — Eight Chinese warships were still operating in waters around the island on Tuesday, Taiwan's defense ministry said, a day after Beijing declared an end to its massive war games. China launched three days of military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan on Saturday that saw it simulate targeted strikes and practice a blockade of the island. The show of force was a response to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week, an encounter it had warned would provoke retaliatory measures. "There are 8 vessels still operating in the waters surrounding Taiwan," the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that it was closely monitoring the situation. The ministry said it had detected 12 Chinese warships and 91 aircraft around the island on the final day of the drills, with 54 of the planes crossing into Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The ADIZ incursions were the highest recorded in a single day since October 2021. During the exercises, J15 fighter jets had been deployed off China's Shandong aircraft carrier and were among the aircraft that crossed the median line, the defense ministry added. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to retake it one day. President Tsai Ing-wen condemned the military drills on Monday, hours after they officially came to an end, saying China was using Taiwan's engagement with the US as an "excuse to launch military exercises, causing instability in Taiwan and the region". "Although China's military exercise has come to an end, our military and national security team will continue to stick to their posts and defend the country," Tsai said in a post on Facebook. After the three-day exercise, the Chinese military said it had "successfully completed" tasks related to its "Joint Sword" drills. The war games saw Beijing simulate "sealing" off the island, with state media reporting dozens of planes had practiced an "aerial blockade". The United States, which had repeatedly called for China to show restraint, on Monday sent the USS Milius guided-missile destroyer through contested parts of the South China Sea. "This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea," the US Navy said in a statement. The deployment triggered condemnation from China, which said the vessel had "illegally intruded" into its territorial waters. Separately, Beijing warned that Taiwanese independence and cross-strait peace were "mutually exclusive", blaming Taipei and unnamed "foreign forces" supporting it for the tensions. The White House made clear that relations with Beijing were rocky following the drills.

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