Beijing- China executed a notable show of force by dispatching a fleet of navy ships and a sizable group of warplanes, consisting of fighter jets and bombers, towards Taiwan. According to Taiwan's defense ministry, this movement took place over a span of two days, just before the island's annual military exercises aimed at safeguarding against potential invasions.

Between 6 am on Tuesday and 6 am on Wednesday, the Chinese People's Liberation Army deployed 38 warplanes and 9 navy vessels around Taiwan.

Additionally, on Wednesday morning, until noon, they sent an additional 30 planes, including J-10 and J-16 fighters. Among these, 32 warplanes crossed the unofficial boundary known as the midline of the Taiwan Strait, which previously served as a buffer between the mainland and the island. Later on Wednesday, another 23 planes crossed this midline.

Taiwan is set to conduct the annual Han Guang exercise later this month, focusing on combat readiness drills to prevent potential invasions. In addition, they will carry out the Wan'an exercises, which aim to prepare civilians for natural disasters and simulate evacuation procedures in case of an air raid.

China considers Taiwan, a self-ruled territory, as its own and has expressed its disapproval of political activities in Taiwan by increasing the number of military aircraft sent in its direction. In the past year, China has expanded its military presence by sending navy vessels and drones to patrol the waters near the island.

During the recent maneuvers on Tuesday and Wednesday, the PLA flew H-6 bombers in a wide loop to the south of Taiwan, passing by the island before returning towards China's southern coast. These activities mark China's largest military drills in recent times, which were triggered by former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August of the previous year. In a significant escalation, China fired missiles over the island during these exercises, disrupting trade routes in the Taiwan Strait and causing flight diversions.

In April, the PLA conducted extensive combat readiness drills in the airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan in response to a meeting between Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and the current US House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.