TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to an incursion by 19 Chinese military aircraft in Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. "must stand with Taiwan."
On Sunday (Sept. 5), the Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported that 10 Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, four Xian H-6 bombers, four SU-30 fighters, and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane (
Pompeo on Sunday retweeted a Bloomberg article on the intrusion and wrote that the U.S. "must always stand with Taiwan and for freedom." His post soon became a trending topic in Taiwan with over 14,000 likes, 3,357 retweets, and 179 comments.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and U.S. Senator William Hagerty that same day also retweeted the article and warned that adversaries such as China would "continue to probe the resolve of the U.S. & our allies after Biden’s debacle in Afghanistan." He then called on the Senate to pressure the Biden administration to take a stronger stance to prevent such provocative actions.
Pompeo's tweet appeared to follow the same theme from a previous post uploaded by Pompeo's political group CAVPAC on Sept. 1, which read, "America stands with Taiwan" and displayed the flags of the U.S. and Taiwan.
The largest incursion by PLAAF aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ on record occurred on June 15, when a total of 28 military planes entered the southern end of the zone, including one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane, four H-6 bombers, one Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, two Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, 14 J-16 fighters, and six J-11s.
The United States must always stand with Taiwan and for freedom. https://t.co/IcKLXvLSzJ
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) September 5, 2021
Communist China & other adversaries will continue to probe the resolve of the U.S. & our allies after Biden’s debacle in Afghanistan.
The Senate must press the Biden Admin to adopt a stronger posture to prevent foreign aggression. https://t.co/Z70uHtd02l
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) September 5, 2021
America stands with Taiwan. pic.twitter.com/9dCKNaqPth
— CAVPAC (@cav_pac) September 1, 2021