A Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece said "it’s only a matter of time before Taiwan's separatist authorities fall," a threat that comes as the CCP escalates pressure on the island by flying scores of fighter jets into its airspace.
Hu Xijin, editor of the Chinese state-controlled newspaper Global Times, issued the latest threat on Sunday via Twitter, declaring that "China moved its National Day military parade from Tiananmen Square to the Taiwan Straits."
More than 52 Chinese warplanes entered Taiwanese airspace on Monday, breaking a single-day record of flyovers that was set two days ago, when 39 jets buzzed over the embattled island. China’s incursion set off Taiwan’s air defense systems and prompted a warning to "turn around and leave immediately," according to CNN. There have been nearly 150 similar incidents since the beginning of the month.
China’s increasing willingness to violate Taiwanese airspace signals that Beijing is not concerned about agitating Taiwan and its allies, particularly the United States, which condemned the CCP’s air operations but did nothing else.
"The United States is very concerned by the People’s Republic of China’s provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. "We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."