Taiwan says it detected 66 Chinese aircraft, 14 warships in strait

BEJING

Taiwan said it had detected 66 Chinese aircraft and 14 warships conducting exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait on Sunday.

“14 PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) vessels and 66 PLA (People's Liberation Army) aircraft around our surrounding region were detected today until 1700 (GMT+8). #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded to these activities with aircraft in CAP, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems,” Taiwan’s Defense Ministry tweeted.

It added that “22 of the detected aircraft had flown on the east part of the median line of the Taiwan Strait and our SW ADIZ (Air Defense Information Zone).”

Taiwan, however, rejected allegations that a Chinese destroyer entered its territorial waters.

Taiwan’s CNA news agency, citing the Defense Ministry, said it is not true that the Chinese ship cruised off the coast of eastern Hualien County.

It is merely part of China’s psychological operations campaign, it argued.

Earlier Sunday, China announced that it would conduct live-fire military exercises in the Yellow and Bohai seas.

The drill in the Bohai Sea will be held from Aug. 8 to Sept. 8, while the one in the Yellow Sea will be conducted from Aug. 7-15, the Maritime Safety Administration said in a statement.

China launched massive military exercises surrounding Taiwan last week after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-ruled island, bucking Beijing’s warnings.

China views Taiwan as a "breakaway province" despite Taipei having governed itself since 1949. Beijing has vowed to reunify the island, including by force if necessary.

As part of its major military exercises near Taiwan and eight countermeasures to respond to the situation, China on Friday dispatched the largest number of military aircraft across the Taiwan Strait this year, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk

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Source https://www.globalcourant.com/taiwan-says-it-detected-66-chinese-aircraft-14-warships-in-strait/?feed_id=8025&_unique_id=62f0759bd1562

Two ships loaded with Ukrainian grain anchor at Istanbul Strait

Carrying 33,000 tons of corn, the Panama-flagged ship "Navi-Star" is expected to proceed on its way to Ireland after an inspection.

The ship departed from Ukraine's port of Odessa on Friday. (AA)

Two grain-loaded ships from Ukraine docked at the Black Sea entrance of Türkiye's Istanbul Strait en route to Ireland and England, the Turkish National Defence Ministry said.

The Panama-flagged ship, the Navi-Star, docked after departing from Ukraine's port of Odessa on Friday, the ministry said on Saturday.

The ship is carrying 33,000 tons of corn under a recent grain shipment deal signed by Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN to ease the global food crisis.

On July 22, those countries and the UN signed a Türkiye-brokered deal in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian ports for exports of Ukraine grain, which had been stuck for months due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its sixth month.

A team from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul, consisting of representatives from all four sides, will inspect the ship.

After the inspection, the ship is expected to proceed on its way to Ireland.

READ MORE: Three grain ships to set sail from Ukrainian ports on Friday: Türkiye

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1bsXdCWwGw[/embed]

The third ship: Rojen

The Maltese flagged ship "Rojen", which left Ukraine's Chernomorsk Port to sail for England, also anchored at its designated location north of Istanbul.

The ship, which carries 13 thousand tons of corn, will be inspected tomorrow morning according to Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence.

The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni was the first grain ship that left the port of Odessa on Monday since the conflict began in February.

The ship, with over 26,500 tons of corn, passed through the Turkish Straits after it got security clearance in Istanbul on Wednesday, when it set sail again for its ultimate destination, Lebanon.

So far, four ships, carrying a total of over 84,500 tons of grain, have departed Ukraine's ports to make their deliveries that many believe will help ease the global food crisis. 

READ MORE: Cavusoglu: Ukraine grain deal could be basis for comprehensive cease-fire

Source: AA

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