Chinese fighter jets make the largest show of force near Taiwan this year on National Day

More than 35 Chinese fighter jets entered Taiwan’s airspace. (AP: Taiwan Ministry of Defence)

On it’s National Day China has sent 38 fighter jets towards self-ruled Taiwan in the largest display of force this year.

The People’s Liberation Army flew 25 fighter jets on Friday in the first maneuver, then sent an additional 13 planes at night.

Taiwan deployed air patrol forces in response and tracked the Chinese aircraft on its air defence systems, the island’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The first group of planes included 18 J-16 fighter jets and two H-6 bombers.

China’s latest mission came less than a day after its government launched an abusive attack on Taiwan’s foreign minister, evoking the words of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong to denounce him as a “shrilling” fly for his efforts to promote Taiwan internationally.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is an outspoken supporter of the island’s efforts to push back against pressure from China and regularly appears on think-tank and other panels.

In a lengthy denunciation of Mr Wu late on Thursday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said he was a “die-hard” supporter of Taiwan independence who peddled lies that Taiwan is a sovereign country.

It quoted a poem written by Mao in 1963, The River All Red, which was a denunciation of the Soviet Union and United States.

“All forms of comments on Taiwan independence are but flies ‘humming, with a burst of shrilling and a fit of sobbing,'” Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the  was “not worthy” of commenting on.

However, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which crafts policy on China, said it was “slander and abuse”.

“This kind of verbal violence, unprecedented in the international community, only highlights the overstepping of the rules of the Taiwan-related body on the other side of the Taiwan Strait and how far away it is from civilised society.”

China has frequently sent planes toward the island it claims as part of its territory in the last couple of years, stepping up military harassment with drills.

Last week, China flew 24 fighter jets toward Taiwan after it announced it would apply to join a Pacific trade group that China also applied to join.

Taiwan and China split during a civil war in 1949, and China has not ruled out force to reunify with Taiwan. Beijing opposes Taiwan’s involvement in international organisations.

AP/Reuters