Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2016-12-18
Taiwan’s defense ministry on Sunday downplayed concerns after a photograph was posted on line showing what appears to be a Chinese bomber circling Taiwan near Orchid Island.
Defense ministry spokesperson Chen Chung-chi, said the plane was outside of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), and that the military has the situation under control.
In less than half a month, the Chinese military has sent planes out twice in drills that involved flying around the main island of Taiwan. Taiwan’s military says that the planes did not enter Taiwan’s airspace.
The picture of the Chinese bomber – an H-6K – was posted on the Chinese air force’s official microblogging site on Weibo on Saturday. A former pilot said that in the photo the plane appears to be flying northward at an altitude of 20,000 feet. The former pilot said that it appeared that the plane was outside of the ADIZ near Orchid Island, which is just off the southeastern coast of the main island of Taiwan.
Chinese media reports said that the mountains in the photograph include Taiwan’s highest peak – Jade Mountain. But Taiwan’s military said that was just guesswork on the part of the media, and urged people not to get caught up in the speculation. [FULL STORY]
