Chinese military drills near Taiwan continue for third day with largest force yet: 70 warplanes, 11 ships

China sent nearly a dozen warships and 70 fighter jets toward Taiwan on Monday, prompting the Taiwanese military to ready its navy and its land-based missile defenses, its government said.

The aggressive move came after two days of similar military displays Beijing sent near the island of 22 million people – actions made in retaliation for ongoing meetings between the U.S. and Taiwanese officials. China’s Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized these meetings and has claimed the U.S. is attempting to make the island’s de facto independence permanent.

On Monday, 11 warships belonging to China’s Navy — formerly the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) — and 70 PLA aircraft were detected traveling near the self-ruled island democracy. According to flight paths, 35 of the detected aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's self-declared Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

The day before, eight warships and 71 planes were detected near Taiwan, 45 of which entered the ADIZ, the island's Ministry of Defense said. The aircraft included the Chengdu J-10, Shenyang J-11 and Shenyang J-16 jet fighters.