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Taiwan keeps eye on strait as tensions mount on Ukraine-Russia border
- Military units told to pay close attention to the situation in Ukraine and the waters separating island from mainland China
- Taiwan watching very carefully to see if Beijing will take advantage of distracted West, Taiwanese foreign minister says
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Taiwan is closely watching the situation in the narrow strait that separates it from mainland China and raising its preparedness in response to what is happening with Ukraine, the government said on Saturday, though it added the two cases were very different.
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Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military activity near the self-governing island over the past two years, though Taiwan has reported no unusual manoeuvres by mainland Chinese forces in recent days as tensions over Ukraine have spiked.
As Western nations warn a war in Ukraine could ignite at any moment, Taiwan’s Presidential Office said the military continued to strengthen its surveillance operations, adding that regional peace and stability was “the shared responsibility of all parties”.
“All military units continue to pay close attention to the situation in Ukraine and movements in the Taiwan Strait, continue to strengthen joint intelligence and surveillance, and gradually increase the level of combat readiness in response to various signs and threats to effectively respond to various situations,” the office said.
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Taiwan deploys its most advanced F-16V fighter jets amid rising military tensions with Beijing
Taiwan deploys its most advanced F-16V fighter jets amid rising military tensions with Beijing
Taiwan complains most frequently about mainland China’s air force flying into its air defence zone, part of what Taipei says is a pattern of harassment by Beijing.
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Taiwan last month reported the largest incursion since October by the People’s Liberation Army, with the island’s defence ministry saying Taiwanese fighters scrambled to warn away 39 aircraft.
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