(ETH) – A new report is indicating that China is actively preparing itself for American and Japanese involvement in any Taiwan Strait conflict, The report from Newsweek revealed that recent warplane exercises around the island were aimed at displaying its ability to isolate Taiwan from potential support.
The details revealed that China’s Army aircraft, including fighter jets and reconnaissance planes, flew sorties into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone on Monday, according to a senior defense official in Taipei noted the “offensive posture” of the military exercise.
Deputy Defense Minister Chang Che-ping described the waves of Chinese aircraft as part of a naval and air force “joint operation.” Flight patterns from this exercise appeared to reveal Taiwan surrounded on three sides, and that the drill was a direct message to the governments of Taiwan, Japan, and the U.S.
Meanwhile, US officials are concerned about the ongoing buildup of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine, according to a U.S. defense official who told CBS News. The report revealed that Ukraine’s Commander-In-Chief Ruslan Khomchack recently told his country’s parliament that Russian troops from different regions have been assembling near the border.
There are theories that the troops are simply massing for training, but the American defense official stated that Russia had not announced any exercises in the area. CBS Noted: “Ukraine and Russia have been in conflict since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The U.S. and its NATO allies do not recognize Russia’s annexation of the peninsula, and the U.S contributes millions in both non-military and military aid each year to Ukraine”.
