China's government issues warning after sending record 28 planes over Taiwan
China's government issued a warning to "foreign forces" after Taiwan reported a record 28 Chinese military planes flew over the self-governed island's airspace Tuesday, per Reuters.
Why it matters: The warning and deployment of aircraft including fighter jets and bombers comes after G7 leaders issued a statement Sunday urging the Chinese government to respect human rights and calling on peace and "stability across the Taiwan Strait."
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28 PLA aircraft (Y-8 ASW, H-6*4, Y-8 EW, KJ-500 AEW&C*2, J-16*14 and J-11*6) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on June. 15, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/JnfN8bOwgl pic.twitter.com/MBJv2jbNMZ
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) June 15, 2021
What they're saying: "We will never tolerate attempts to seek independence or wanton intervention in the Taiwan issue by foreign forces, so we need to make a strong response to these acts of collusion," said Chinese government spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang, according to Reuters.
The big picture: The status of Taiwan, which the Chinese government claims is a breakaway province, is one of the most sensitive political issues between Washington and Beijing.
The 28 aircraft deployed on Tuesday eclipses the previous record of 25 planes China's government sent to fly over Taiwan in April.
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