China blasts US defence bill while Taiwan welcomes

China blasted an annual US defence spending bill for hyping up the “China threat" while Taiwan welcomed the legislation, saying it demonstrated US support for the self-governing island that China says must come under its rule.

Taiwan scrambles jets amid reports of Chinese craft in the region

The Taiwanese government on Friday said it was readying its military to respond to potential incursions by Chinese forces in the region. The country’s Ministry of National Defense said in a tweet that “11 [People’s Liberation Army] aircraft and 3 [People’s Liberation Army Navy] vessels” were detected “around Taiwan” in the early morning hours.