Taiwan conducts military drills to intercept Chinese warplanes

Taiwan’s air force conducted drills on Wednesday to simulate the interception of Chinese warplanes amid heightened tensions with Beijing, Reuters reported.

Flight crews at a base in Chiayi, which houses US-made F-16 fighter jets​, scrambled to prepare the aircraft as alarms sounded.

The exercises were intended to highlight Taiwan’s military readiness ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of this month.​

Chinese aircraft have repeatedly violated Taiwan’s airspace​ over the past several years​, with the latest incident taking place in November.