CHINA-TAIWAN: PLAAF AIRCRAFT VIOLATE MEDIAN LINE IN TAIWAN STRAITS

China's state-owned Global Times reported (April 1) that on March 31, two People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) J-11 fighter jets crossed the middle line on the Taiwan Straits forcing Taiwan to scramble its own fighters. The Taiwan Defence Ministry said Taiwan scrambled its own aircraft and broadcast warnings after two J-11 fighter jets crossed over the “median line” within the waters that separate the island from the mainland. The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “At 11 am, March 31, 2 PLAAF J-11 jets violated the long-held tacit agreement by crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It was an intentional, reckless and provocative action. We’ve informed regional partners and condemn China for such behavior.” According to local Taiwan media, the incident triggered a 10-minute standoff between jets from the two sides. Beijing responded that the Chinese mainland does not recognise the so-called “median line of the Taiwan Strait”, since both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. Liu Guoshen, Executive Director of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Peaceful Development of Cross-Strait Relations, said in an interview on March 31 that the so-called “median line of the Taiwan Strait” is a pseudo-proposition. 





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