China sends 71 warplanes toward Taiwan after the U.S. signs defense bill offering protection

China's army sent fleets of jet fighters and other military aircraft into Taiwan's air defense zone on Sunday as part of a military drill Beijing says was a response to "provocation" from the U.S. and Taiwan, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported that a total of 71 Chinese airplanes were detected flying in the airspace surrounding Taiwan, with 47 of them crossing the maritime border of the Taiwan Strait at about 6 a.m., per CNN. The ministry also revealed that it detected seven Chinese naval vessels near Taiwan on Sunday.
On Monday, China's army released footage of numerous jet fighters taking off and naval officers carrying out their duties on the Chinese social-media platform Weibo. The army said the drills were a "resolute response to the current US-Taiwan escalation and provocation," without elaborating on said provocation, ABC News reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Officials from Washington and Taipei have criticized China's recent aggressive military maneuvers. The White House's National Security Council called the drills provocative and said the action was "destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability," per the Journal.
President Biden previously stated the U.S. would protect Taiwan if China moved forward with invading the democratically governed island. China's Communist Party has long expressed plans to reunify the island with the Chinese mainland since it views Taiwan as part of its territory. On Dec. 23, Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2023, which included authorization of up to $10 billion over five years to finance weaponry and military equipment sales to Taiwan. The bill also featured provisions to provide training and other assistance to help the island defend itself in the event of an invasion by China.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’
Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
TikTok: A little help from Trump’s friends
Feature Trump’s new TikTok deal would hand the app over to 'his billionaire allies,' ignoring national security concerns