32 Chinese warplanes buzz around Taiwan in just 24 hours – the second-highest number this year after the island nation admitted stationing US troops

Thirty-two Chinese warplanes were detected over Taiwan in just 24 hours, the country’s Defense Ministry said.

In the 24 hours between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday local time, the second-highest number of Chinese planes this year flew over the island, accompanied by five warships around Taiwan.

Twenty of these aircraft “crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait,” the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Thursday. The planes were detected after dark and included fighter jets, unmanned drones and medium-range transport aircraft, according to the ministry.

Of these twenty, “nine crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central and southern parts of Taiwan’s (air defense identification zone),” the ministry said in an article on X .

This comes after Taiwan’s defense minister appeared to admit that US troops were stationed on islands off the coast of China earlier this week.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has intensified its military pressure on the democratic nation since the election of its current President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.

Tsai has refused to recognize China’s claims to Taiwan, leading Beijing to cut off high-level communications with her government.

Lai Ching-te, Tsai’s former deputy, was elected president in January, despite Beijing calling him a “dangerous separatist.” He is expected to take office on May 20.

Beijing frequently sends warplanes and other military aircraft over the island and maintains a near-constant presence around its waters using its ships.

Another 33 fighter jets, the highest number this year, were detected during two other 24-hour periods in late January and early February, according to AFP.

Hostilities escalated after Taiwan’s defense minister appeared to admit that U.S. troops were stationed on islands off China’s coast earlier this week.

It is believed that if defense chief Chiu Kuo-cheng was correct, the US military would train Taiwanese forces on small islands near mainland China, including Kinmen Island.

If U.S. troops were stationed in Kinmen, it would mark a dramatic increase in the U.S. presence in the region.

Kinmen Island is more than 160 kilometers from the main island of Taiwan, but only five kilometers from the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen.

This apparent admission follows a Sofrep report which claimed that US special forces had already been deployed to coastal islands – while it was previously thought that limited troops were only deployed to Taiwan.

“This exchange is about mutual observation, identifying the problems we face, figuring out how to improve and recognizing their strengths so we can learn from them,” Chiu said in response to a question about the report .

The United States has consistently said it would support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, something Chinese President Xi reportedly warned President Biden of his intention to implement during their historic summit in San Francisco last year.