Taiwan Vows to 'Deter Threats' After China Launches Dozens of Fighter Jets

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen vowed Monday to "deter threats" after China reportedly sent dozens of jets close to the Asian nation.

"An honour to preside over the promotions of our nation's Army, Navy & Air Force generals @MoNDefense. I will always stand with our troops - the better prepared our military is, the better #Taiwan can deter threats to our security & democratic way of life," Tsai wrote in a post to Twitter on Monday.

The comments by Tsai come shortly after Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported dozens of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) jets near Taiwan.

The ministry said in a tweet: "71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities."

On Saturday, the ministry reported more PLA jets, saying in a tweet that "8 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C."

"Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities," the tweet added.

Taiwan, or the Republic of China (ROC), is an independent nation near China, but Chinese officials have continued to claim Taiwan as their own. The differences have led to tensions between Taiwan and China, as well as the U.S., which does not recognize Taiwan's statehood.

Over the past several months, China has continued to conduct military drills near Taiwan and Chinese President Xi Jinping previously said that China will "never promise to renounce the use of force" on Taiwan.

Marine Corps Commandant General David Berger this month warned of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

"Marine Corps Commandant General Berger tells a group of journalists, 'Everybody around this table should not be comfortable with where we are or the rate at which we're moving,' on preparing for a potential invasion of Taiwan from China," Liz Friden of Fox News tweeted on December 7.

Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which prompted criticism from Chinese officials.

"Despite China's opposition, the US passed and signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which contains negative content concerning China. China deplores and firmly opposes this US move, and has made serious démarches to the US," a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

China Daily, a state-run media outlet, also criticized the act, saying: "Obviously, the US views the Chinese island as an important piece in its zero-sum game, thanks to which high-stake tensions and exacerbated confrontation have plagued the Taiwan Straits over the past year. The new US defense spending bill provides further evidence—should any be needed—that it is the US that is sabotaging peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits."

Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.

Correction 12/29/22, 2:25 a.m. ET: This story was updated to include the official U.S. position on the status of Taiwan.

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about cross-strait tensions? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.