China sends 39 jets into Taiwan defence zone

On Sunday, China sent 39 warplanes -- mostly fighter jets -- into Taiwan's air defence zone, the island's government said, in the largest daily incursion since October.

Taiwan is under the constant threat of invasion by China, which sees the self-ruled, democratic island as part of its territory, which is eventually reclaimed by force if necessary.

The last day of 2021 saw a surge of incursions from China into Taiwan's air defence identification zone ADIZ with the biggest single day coming on October 4, when 56 Chinese warplanes entered the zone.

Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement late Sunday it scrambled its own aircraft to broadcast warnings and deploy missiles to track 39 Chinese jets that entered the ADIZ.

The incursions included 24 J-16 fighters - experts say are among China's favourite jets for testing Taiwan's air defences - 10 J 10 fighters and a nuclear-capable H 6 bomber.

Taiwan has started publicising its data on air incursions in September 2020.

October is the busiest month on record, with 196 incursions, of which only 149 were made over four days as Beijing marked its annual National Day.

The defence zone is not the same as Taiwan's territorial airspace but it includes a much larger area that overlaps with part of China's ADIZ.

Since Tsai Ing-wen was elected president in 2016, she views the island as a sovereign nation and not part of one China. In 2016 Taiwan had 969 incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ -- more than double the number of roughly 380 carried out in 2020, according to a database compiled by AFP.

Taiwan's air force has suffered a number of fatal accidents in recent years due to its ageing fleet being kept under constant pressure by China.

The air force temporarily shut down all F-16 fighters earlier this month after one of its most advanced F-16 V jets crashed into the sea during a routine training mission, killing one pilot.