U.S. denounces Chinese ‘coercion’ after warplanes buzz Taiwan for three straight days

The State Department expressed concern Sunday over China's "provocative military activity" during the weekend, as 93 Chinese warplanes flew near Taiwan.

"The United States is very concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability," the State Department said in a statement on Sunday. "We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."

"The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region," the statement continued. "We will continue to stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security, and values and deepen our ties with democratic Taiwan."

China flew 38 warplanes over waters south of Taiwan on Friday, 39 on Saturday, the highest single-day record since reports were released in September 2020, and 16 on Sunday, ABC News reported.

The planes didn't violate Taiwan's airpace but did enter its air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to CNN, which the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration defines as "an area of airspace over land or water, in which the ready identification, location, and control of all aircraft ... is required in the interest of national security."

"China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang said to reporters on Saturday, BBC News reported.

The Taiwanese air force, in response to the Chinese flights, scrambled aircraft, broadcasted radio warnings, and deployed air defense missiles systems, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, CNN reported.

China and Taiwan have been split since a civil war in 1949 when the Communists took control of China and the Nationalists started their own government on the island of Taiwan.