IMMINENT INVASION? China Sends 68 Warplanes and 10 Warships To Surround Taiwan

Within hours of revealing a plan for the fusion of Taiwan, China reinforced its military presence in the region.

In the past 24 hours, China has flown 68 aeroplanes over Taiwan while ten of its Navy ships have circled the island in one of the largest shows of force this year.

The concerning move comes just a few weeks after the US transferred equipment to the self-governing island for the first time ever.

Since the island’s declaration of independence from the Chinese Communist Party in 1949, Beijing has maintained that Taiwan is a part of its territory.

A number of J-10 fighters entered the nation’s air defence identification zone, according to a report from Taipei’s Defence Ministry on Thursday.

A statement by Major General Huang Wen-Chi, said that the Chinese Communist Party “has aggressively expanded its armaments this year and has continued to build various types of fighter jets and drones.”

Meanwhile, Taiwan stated that some of the aircraft had flown over the Bashi Channel to join the Chinese carrier Shandong for military exercises in the Pacific.

Japan claimed that its Navy had seen the Shandong travelling with six other ships, including destroyers and frigates, around 400 miles south of the island of Miyakojima.

Xi Jinping has become the most powerful Communist Party leader in decades.

Following the One China stance, which acknowledges that the island belongs to mainland China, the US has historically maintained a neutral stance on Taiwan.

Last week, former National Security Advisor John Bolton told the Daily Express US that China has reached the “height of its power”. That fact, while the West is understandably preoccupied with helping Ukraine, may prompt Beijing to launch an invasion of Taiwan.

Ambassador Bolton – who most recently served as National Security Advisor under Donald Trump and held roles in other Republican administrations – warned that China’s economic slowdown could convince Xi Jinping and the Communist Party now is the time to take Taiwan.

“There’s a theory that I think has a lot of merit to it if you assume – correctly – that the military force is a function of economic power,” Mr. Bolton told Daily Express US.

He continued: “If what China sees heading into the rest of the century is declining economic growth, declining economic vitality, that means declining military power too.

“So, in a way, China’s now at the height of its power, and risks decline over a long period of time, meaning that if they’re going to use it now would be a better time to do it.”

In addition, Mr. Bolton warned that the United States was not ready if China did decide to launch a military venture – something which Beijing would see as an “opportunity”.

He said: “We’re still stuck in the post-Soviet collapse way of thinking that, you know, we’ve reached the end of history – we’ve let the defense budgets fall and we’re seeing some of the consequences now.”