On the morning of 11th May, 2018, Chinese military fighter jets were reported to have executed a series of drills near the Taiwan coast. The Beijing military headquarters addressed these drills at being aimed at Taiwan’s “independence forces”. The Taiwanese Defence Ministry reported sightings of multiple H-6K bombers, transport aircraft, and reconnaissance over the Bashi Channel, south of Taiwan, and over the Miyako Strait, near Okinawa, Japan. Despite the usual drill formations, the scenario as a whole was more threatening to Taiwan than it appeared.
Chinese Sukhoi Su-35 fighter planes flew over Taiwan for the first time during the drill on Friday morning. The Shenyang J-11 fighters and other early-warning aircraft also participated in the looming drill. The Taiwan defence ministry, however, assured the public that they had been able to fully monitor the Chinese drills and were able to take effective measures to ensure Taiwan’s security. In a statement, the Chinese defence ministry confirmed that it was the first time the Su-35s had flown over the Bashi Channel. The ministry explained it as a “new breakthrough, highlighting the new enhancements to the Air Force’s combat capability”.
The hostility between Beijing and Taipei has been breeding ever since ROC President Tsai Ing-wen, who supported the traditionally pro-independence DPP party, took office in 2016. The PRC, as of yet, sees Taiwan, who has never formally declared its independence, as a turncoat territory which needs to be reunited with China – even if it requires the use of force. In a prior statement, Chinese defence minister, Wu Qian, announced that all the military operations taking place were directed against the Pro-Independence forces of Taiwan, and were only meant to safeguard the Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity. In retaliation, Taipei had formally announced the decision of initiating a series of annual live fire drills which would be a simulation of thwarting any Chinese invasions by engaging in surprise coastal assaults.