Taipei: Taiwan said Wednesday it had detected 53 Chinese military aircraft and 19 ships near the island in the past 24 hours, as Beijing holds its biggest maritime mobilisation in years. The aircraft and vessels, which included 11 warships, were detected in Taiwan’s airspace and waters in the 24 hours to 6:00 am (2200 GMT) Wednesday, according to the defence ministry’s daily tally. That was the highest number of aircraft detected in a single day since a record 153 was reported on October 15 after China staged large-scale military drills in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s National Day speech days earlier. The defence ministry reported Tuesday that 47 Chinese aircraft had been detected in Taiwan’s airspace along with 12 Chinese warships in the vicinity of the island. Taipei said China is currently deploying around 90 ships along the so-called first island chain — linking Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines — in what is Beijing’s biggest maritime exercise in years. There has been no public announcement by Beijing’s army or Chinese state media about increased military activity in the East China Sea, Taiwan Strait, South China Sea or Western Pacific Ocean. However, a Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday that China — which regards Taiwan as its territory — will “resolutely defend” its sovereignty. There has also been intense speculation about the possibility of China launching military exercises in response to Lai’s visits to the United States last week. Lai spoke with Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnson in Guam on Thursday — the highest-level US contact the Taiwanese leader had during a week-long Pacific trip — which drew a barrage of criticism from Beijing. China — which has said it would never rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control — has held four large-scale military exercises in just over two years, including two since Lai took office in May. Taiwan faces the constant threat of a military attack by China and relies heavily on US arms sales to boost its defences. On the eve of Lai’s Pacific tour, the United States approved a proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16s and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total.
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