Taiwan vows to respond to China’s military flight incursions

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s defense minister says the island will respond to incursions into its airspace by Chinese warplanes and drones, but gave no details. Chiu Kuo-cheng on Wednesday said China’s newly aggressive stance had changed what Taiwan defines as a “first strike” that would necessitate a response. China stepped up its military exercises, fired missiles into waters near Taiwan and sent warplanes across the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait in response to an August visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. China denies the existence of the median line in the Taiwan Strait and challenged established norms by firing missiles over Taiwan into Japan’s exclusive economic zone.