Twenty-two Chinese warplanes briefly entered Taiwan's reconnaissance airspace today, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said at a briefing on Chinese military maneuvers, AFP reported.

Information was published on the ministry's website that Taiwan's air defense systems had tracked the Chinese planes.

China launched its largest-ever military maneuvers in the Taiwan region today in response to a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island, which Beijing considers a breakaway province.

Pelosi's visit was seen by China as a provocation, advocating for Taiwan's independence supporters and a repudiation of the United States' pledge not to maintain formal relations with the island.

Kremlin defends China's military exercises around Taiwan: It's their sovereign right

Another reaction to Pelosi's visit by the Chinese military was the launch of a series of missiles that flew over Taiwan.

The missiles landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, which is the first time this has happened in that water area.

China's military exercises are being conducted in six sea zones around Taiwan and affect frequently used trade routes, sometimes only twenty kilometers from Taiwan's shores, BTA notes.

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