SOUTH CHINA SEA: CHINESE AIR FORCE CARRIES OUT TRAINING A total of 15 Chinese aircraft including 12 fighter jets entered into the southern part of Taiwan and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas

Island in the South China Sea. This marked the second day in a row Beijing aircraft has entered the region. Beijing has been conducting military exercises near Pratas Island over recent

months. Yesterday, eight Chinese bomber planes and four fighter jets entered Taiwan’s ADIZ urging the nation to deploy missiles to “monitor” the incursion. China, which claims Taiwan as its

own territory, has conducted flights over the waters almost daily in recent months. However, they have generally been just one or two reconnaissance aircraft. Taiwan reports second day of

over the same waters. Taiwan’s Air Force deployed missiles to monitor them, according to a statement by the island’s defence ministry. READ MORE: CHINA-TAIWAN THREAT: BEIJING JETS BREACH

ISLAND DEFENCE ZONE South China Sea crisis escalates (Image: Getty) RELATED ARTICLES In a statement, they said: “Airborne alert sorties had been tasked, radio warnings issued and air defence

missile systems deployed to monitor the activity.” Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated over recent months following the increased military presence from both Beijing and the US.

Following Beijing’s recent activity, the US State Department urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan. Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said: “We urged Beijing to cease its

military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives. DON'T MISS  Trump ramps up

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AMID CHAOS IN US [REVEAL] South China Sea crisis mapped (Image: Express) “We will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defence capability.” Lo Chih-Cheng, a senior

lawmaker for Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said China is trying to deter the new US Government from backing the island. He said: “It’s sending a message to the Biden

Administration.” Days after Joe Biden’s inauguration, Emily Horne, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, said the US commitment to Taiwan was “rock-solid”. South China

Sea crisis escalates (Image: Getty) The incident is the latest illustration of the tensions which characterise Taiwan's relations with the mainland. Beijing claims the island is part of

its territory in accordance with its One China policy. Heightened rhetoric has raised fears of a full-blown invasion in recent months. Speaking last year after the Taiwanese pilot of an

ageing F-5 fighter jet was killed during a training flight, Derek Grossman told Express.co.uk: "Taiwan certainly does not want to be forced to follow in Japan’s footsteps when it comes

to dealing with the real consequences of sustained Chinese military pressure.” China's President Xi Jinping (Image: Getty) He explained: "In the case of the JASDF’s intercept

operations against Chinese military flights in the vicinity of the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute and near Japan, the service is undergoing enormous stress in terms of both pilot fatigue and wearing

out of military equipment that degrades capabilities for combat." Speaking in September, Taiwanese politician Su Tseng-chang, who as Premier is roughly equivalent to a Prime Minister,

said: "Each time the communist aircraft harass Taiwan, our air force takes to the skies, and it is extremely costly. "This isn’t only a burden for Taiwan, but quite a big one for

China too."