China has launched 103 military aircraft towards Taiwan in a new level of activity that Al Jazeera describes as harassment

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Chinese military sent 103 warplanes toward Taiwan in 24 hours in what the island’s Defense Ministry said Monday was a recent daily record.

The ministry said that the planes were spotted between 6 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday. As usual, they turned back before they reached Taiwan.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has conducted increasingly large military exercises in the air and waters around Taiwan as tensions rise between the two countries and with the United States. The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and opposes any attempt to change Taiwan’s status by force.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 40 aircraft crossed the symbolic halfway point between mainland China and the island. It also reported nine naval vessels in the past 24 hours.

The ministry described China’s military action as “harassment” and warned that it may escalate in light of the current tense atmosphere. “We urge the Beijing authorities to take responsibility and immediately stop this type of destructive military activities,” she said in a statement.

Last week, China sent a fleet of ships, including the aircraft carrier Shandong, to waters near Taiwan. The exercises came shortly after the United States and Canada sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait, the waters that separate the island from the mainland.

China has also unveiled a plan to create an integrated development pilot zone with Taiwan in nearby China’s Fujian province, an attempt to entice Taiwan while also warning it in what experts say is China’s longstanding carrot-and-stick approach.

The latest actions may be an attempt to influence Taiwan’s presidential elections in January. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which leans toward formal independence for the island, is considered anathema to the Chinese government. China favors opposition candidates who advocate working with the mainland.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 when the Communists took control of China during a civil war. The losing Nationalists fled to Taiwan and formed their own government on the island.

The island is self-governing, although only a few foreign countries grant it official diplomatic recognition. The United States, among other countries, has official relations with China while maintaining a representative office in Taiwan.

___

Find more AP coverage of the Asia-Pacific region at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific