China continuing military activities nearby: Taiwan--

TAIPEI, Aug 20 (Reuters): Taiwan's defence ministry said 17 Chinese aircraft and five Chinese ships were detected operating around Taiwan on Saturday as Beijing continued military activities near the island.
It said this included four aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which in normal times acts as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.
Of the 17 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) warplanes, eight crossed the median line over the Taiwan Strait, the military said. The planes were four Xi'an JH-7 fighter-bombers, two Sukhoi Su-30 fighters, and two Shenyang J-11 jets.
The JH-7 and the Su-30 jets crossed the median line at its northern end, while the two J-11 fighters did so at the southern end.

The ministry said it tasked Combat Air Patrols (CAP), Navy ships, and air defence missile systems to monitor and respond to the Chinese activities reported Taiwan News.
China has increased its antics in Taiwan Strait post the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-governed island.
Over the previous day, the military tracked 51 Chinese warplanes over the Taiwan Strait and a Chinese guided-missile destroyer near a zone where Taiwan was testing missiles.
Tensions were further inflamed on Sunday when another US congressional delegation travelled to Taiwan and amid this a social media post by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) showed footage of the Penghu islands suggesting that its jets were on Taiwan's doorstep.
Meanwhile, China said on Friday its sanctions on Lithuania's deputy transport minister were an appropriate and reasonable response to her recent visit to Taiwan.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin spoke after Lithuania demanded China remove sanctions imposed on Lithuanian Deputy Transport and Communications Minister Agne Vaiciukeviciute for visiting Taiwan.