China reaffirms Taiwan threats following naval mission
China is reaffirming its threats to take action to block “independence separatist plots” by self-governing Taiwan, following the recent passage of Chinese navy ships through the Taiwan Strait.
Spokesman for the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office Ma Xiaoguang made the comments June 27 in response to a question about whether the mission by a destroyer and cruiser was intended as a warning to the island’s independence-leaning government.
Ma warned independence supporters not to “play with fire” and said China has the “stern will, full confidence and sufficient capability to defeat any form of Taiwan independence separatist plots.”
Ma’s comments came as United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is visiting Beijing for talks, during which official are expected to reiterate China’s opposition to U.S. military assistance to the island claimed by Beijing. AP
Russian-designed fighter jet crashes in India; pilots safe
An official says a Russian-designed Sukhoi fighter jet has crashed during a test flight ahead of its induction into the Indian air force, but there were no casualties.
Air force spokesman Wing Commander Arvind Sinha says both pilots ejected safely from the newly built aircraft, which crashed June 27 into a farm near Nasik in western India’s Maharasthra state. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI twinjet aircraft is produced under license by India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
In recent years the Indian air force has suffered a series of crashes of helicopters and MiG aircraft acquired from the former Soviet Union. The government says the accidents were caused by human error and mechanical problems. AP