Balloon also spotted

Chinese jets and ships off the coast of Taiwan

(Bild: AP)

Taiwan has reported sightings of 33 Chinese army aircraft and eight ships in its airspace and waters within one day. A balloon was also spotted around 170 kilometers west of Taiwan, the country's Ministry of Defense announced on Friday.

This was the fourth Chinese balloon to be spotted off Taiwan's coast since Sunday. With 41 aircraft and ships, the Chinese military contingent around Taiwan was the largest since November 4, according to a calculation by the AFP news agency based on figures from the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.

Taiwan's president a "separatist"for Beijing
China had previously expressed its anger at the travel plans of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, who will set off on a tour of the Pacific on Saturday. Among other things, a visit to Hawaii and the US territory of Guam is planned. The Taiwanese president, who has been in office since May, insists more clearly than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen on Taiwan's sovereignty. Beijing therefore classifies him as a "separatist".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thursday that Beijing is firmly opposed to "any form of official interaction with the Chinese region of Taiwan". The Chinese military has the "sacred task" of protecting national sovereignty and will "resolutely suppress all attempts to secede from Taiwan".

Taiwan is a renegade province for China
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that should be reunited with the mainland - using military force if necessary. Beijing has stepped up its military activities around Taiwan in recent years.