By Tian Yu and Zhang Jing
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (ChinaMil) -- Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, said on Dec 12, 2017 that the Chinese PLA Air Force dispatched multi-type aircraft to conduct “island encirclement patrols” around Taiwan on Dec 11 in order to train and improve China’s ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The “island encirclement patrols” around Taiwan by the PLAAF involved Chinese H-6K fighter bombers, Su-30 fighter jets, J-11 fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, tanker aircraft and so on were dispatched in this patrol.
A news in the Independent Newspaper of Russia said that the“island encirclement patrols” around Taiwan have made Taiwan authorities uneasy. The reporter of the news added that the patrols are getting more and more common as the PLAAF frequently flies through the first island chain, and especially as it makes long-range normalized flights over the ocean to the east of Taiwan.
"First of all, I'd like to point out that Taiwan is a part of China, therefore, there is no such thing as the so-called 'National Defense Report'," said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) when answering questions at a regular press conference on Dec. 28, 2017.
The question was referring to the so-called "National Defense Report 2017" published by the Taiwan authority two days earlier.
We must sternly warn the "Taiwan independence" forces that China’s determination to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity is unshakeable, Ren stressed, adding that any attempt to rely on foreign forces or any attempt to resist reunification by military force will be in vain.
