Taipei: China's military has flown 36 fighter jets and bombers close to Taiwan, according to Taiwan's defense ministry, as part of a protracted campaign of intimidation against the self-ruled island democracy that Beijing claims is its territory. 

Ten aircraft crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, which separates the island from the mainland, according to the ministry. These reportedly included four J-16 and six J-11 Shenyang aircraft.

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After a civil war that put the Communist Party in charge of the mainland, Taiwan and China split in 1949. Beijing claims that although the island has never been part of the PRC, it should be reunited with the mainland, even if it means using force.

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This year, the Chinese government's campaign of intimidation against Taiwan under President Xi Jinping escalated. It has launched and sent missiles at sea

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The Defense Ministry said on its website on Saturday that Taiwan's military had spotted four Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, a Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft and three H-6 bombers in the southwest of the island. It has been said that three Chinese drones have also been found.