China deploys 103 fighter jets toward Taiwan

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- More than 100 Chinese fighter jets and a handful of warships were detected near Taiwan in the past 24 hours, its military said Monday, representing a steep escalation in the number of sorties Beijing has sent to the self-governing island.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that the 103 fighter jets and nine ships were detected around its island within the 24 hours ending 6 a.m. Monday.

Forty of the aircraft had either crossed the median line that stands as a de facto border between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait or its air defense identification zone, it said.

Beijing lays claim to Taiwan despite the island having never been part of the People Republic of China, which was founded in 1949.

China has vowed to take Taiwan by force, which has raised tensions in the region and with Taipei's democratic allies, especially the United States.

As it views the island as a wayward province, it conducts so-called gray zone warfare where it deploys war vessels and jets into the island's ADIZ in an effort to sap Taipei's resources and the moral of its military.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said the 103 sorties deployed by China represent "a recent high and has posed severe challenges to Taiwan Strait and national security."

"The communist army's continued military harassment can easily lead to a sharp increase in tension and worsen regional security," it said in a statement. "We call on the Beijing authorities to take responsibility and immediately stop such destructive unilateral actions."