Monday 9 May 2022 11:26 AM China carries out new military exercises near Taiwan after sending 18 warplanes ... trends now
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The Chinese army sent aircraft into Taiwan's air defence zone over the weekend to 'test and improve their combat capability', Beijing said.
Taiwan had scrambled aircraft and readied missile defences when 18 Chinese jets violated its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday.
The People's Liberation Army manoeuvres were repeated on Saturday and Sunday.
A Chinese Y-20 military transport aircraft performs during an airshow in southern China
Beijing's Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement that naval and air force assets carried out the drills to 'further test and improve the joint combat capability of multiple services and arms'.
Although Taiwan responded proactively on Friday, it did not scramble defence systems during Chinese military manoeuvres on Saturday or Sunday.
Living in constant fear of a Chinese invasion, the self-ruled island 100 miles off the mainland raised its alert after Russia entered Ukraine in late February.
Pictured: a Chinese jet takes off from the Liaoning aircraft carrier in the Yellow Sea near Korea
It suspects a copycat invasion by Beijing, which has not condemned Putin's actions.
Taiwan has complained for the past two years about Chinese
