Taiwan ponders its military future as tensions with China grow

Taiwan reported its planes had scrambled to safeguard its airspace more than 4,000 times since beginning of year, William Yang reports

Air force personnel walks past Taiwan's Air Force Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) jets inside a hangar (EPA)

Amid increasing military aggression from China over the last few months, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the island has launched aircrafts to intercept Chinese fighter jets more than 4,000 times since the beginning of 2020.  

According to a report shared with the parliament on Tuesday, Taiwan’s air force has doubled the number of times that they sent aircrafts to safeguard its airspace against possible Chinese intrusion in 2020.

“China is trying to use unilateral military actions to change the security status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and at the same time is testing our response, increasing pressure on our air defences and shrinking our space for activity,” wrote the Taiwanese Defense Ministry in the report.