TAIWAN AIR FORCE PLANES INTERCEPTS CHINESE PLANES

Taiwan air force jets screamed into the sky on Wednesday in a drill simulating a war scenario, showing its combat readiness amid heightened military tensions with China, which claims the island as its own.

Before takeoff, flight crews at a base in the southern city of Chiayi - home to US made F-16 fighter jets that are frequently scrambled to intercept Chinese warplanes rushed to ready aircraft as an alarm sounded.

Chinese military aircraft frequently fly into the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone (ADIZ), airspace around the island that Taiwan monitors and patrols.

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