China expanding Longtian airbase, closest to Taiwan

The Sentinel 2 imagery taken from May of last year to today shows the rapid expansion and modernization of the Chinese Longtian PLA-Airforce airbase. The Longtian airbase is one of the closest Airforce airbases of the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) to Taiwan. Approximately just 170km. The Changes include runway extension, a new control tower, apron expansions, hangar upgrades, among others. This report has been unearthed at a time Taiwan warns about of imminent Chinese invasion of the island country.

For reference, this is where Longtian airbase is located with Taiwan. Also, this kind of modernization and expansion of air facilities is occurring throughout China, including several large projects near the coast like Longtian. The motive is very clear, with weak President Joe Biden leadership in the United States. The Chinese regime has throttled its ambitions and bullying of its neighbours. The Chinese Communist regime and the state-controlled media sending one threat after another.

On September 15 on China has warned the United States against recognising a change of the name of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington to the Taiwan Representative Office, urging America to abide by the one-China principle.

This comes amid reports that America is “seriously considering” allowing the Taiwanese government to change the name of its representative office in Washington to include the word “Taiwan,” in a move that would anger Beijing, the Financial Times reported Saturday.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Beijing has lodged solemn representation with the US side concerning the report.

“The US should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communique, honour its commitments with concrete actions, stop all forms of official exchanges or elevating substantive relations with Taiwan, including not renaming the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US the ‘Taiwan Representative Office’, and stop sending wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.
“The US side should prudently handle the Taiwan question, lest it should seriously undermine China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.

The newspaper, citing multiple people briefed on internal U.S. discussions, said Taiwan requested last March that the name of its mission in the U.S. capital be changed from “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” to “Taiwan Representative Office.”
The United States switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

But under the Taiwan Relations Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1979, Washington maintains substantive though unofficial relations with Taiwan and supplies the island with billions of dollars worth of arms and parts for its defence, Kyodo News reported.
Since taking office in January, President Joe Biden has continued his predecessor Donald Trump’s policies of pursuing closer relations with Taiwan while taking a tougher stance on China over human rights, trade and other issues.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, even though the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Meanwhile, the Chinese PLA Airforce comfortably intruding into Taiwanese airspace on daily basis.

Source ANI,IntelWalrus