Taiwan has called on China to step up its "attack" on its airspace

Taiwan on Tuesday demanded that China accuse it of "retreating" and endangering peace in the wake of the recent attack and a Beijing official has publicly rejected the highly respected maritime border.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu urged Beijing to "return to a good international standard" when a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said there was no so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait because "Taiwan is China's territory." It is not an integral part of it.

Tensions between China and the island of Beijing claims to be at an all-time high, with Taiwanese fighter jets entering the area last week to intercept a Chinese plane.

"The median line has been a symbol of preventing military conflict and maintaining peace and stability in Taiwan Strait for many years," Wu told reporters.

"The Chinese Foreign Ministry's comment is tantamount to breaking the deadlock."

"I urge the international community to condemn the CCP for its dangerous and provocative words and actions that threaten peace," he added in a social media post.

The latest development came on Tuesday when Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen praised the "brave performance" of the air force's pilots, which prevented Chinese planes from reaching the Chinese islands.

"I have a lot of confidence in you. As a soldier of the Republic of China, how can we allow enemies to roam our airspace?" Tsai said he used Taiwan's official name when he visited a large military base in Penghu.

'Almost daily attack'

The base now belongs to FC's One Chung Kou. The aircraft, commonly known as the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), first entered service in 1997 - the first line of Taiwan's response to Chinese military intervention.

On Tuesday, Wang Chia-chu, a senior officer with the "Sky Colt" IDF Squadron, told Reuters that once the Chinese plane was spotted’ its fighters had only five minutes left to make a fuss.

"As long as there is a threat, we will defend our airspace," Wang said.

Another senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity told the news agency that the IDF was now infiltrating "almost every day" as a result of rising tensions.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, which will be seized’ by force if necessary, even though the island itself has ruled for more than 70 years.

Beijing has been pushing for a democratic island since President Tsai   2016 election, rejecting the notion that Taiwan is part of the "One China."

Last year, Taiwan accused China of violating a long-running peace deal following its fighter jets.

Under President Donald Trump, Washington's growing reach in Taiwan has become another point of contention with Beijing, as the United States and China clash over a number of trade and security issues, including the Coronavirus epidemic.

In recent months, Taiwan has reported a sharp increase in incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defense identification zone.

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