A Taiwanese air force fighter plane scrambled on Friday to warn away 10 Chinese aircraft that entered the island's air defense zone, the Taiwan defense ministry said. The move comes one day after Taiwan announced an increase in spending to counter China's military threat.

For the past year or more, Taiwan has complained of repeated missions by the Chinese air force near the democratically governed island, often in the southwestern corner of its air defense zone close to Taiwan's Pratas Islands. According to the Ministry of Taiwan, 6 J-16s, 2 J-11s, and an anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft participated in the latest Chinese mission.

During the combat efforts, Taiwan deployed fighter aircraft to warn Chinese aircraft away, whereas missile systems monitored the Chinese aircraft, the ministry said.

In accordance with the ministry's map, Chinese fighter aircraft flew near the Pratas, whereas anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft intercepted ships in the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

A spokesman for China's Eastern Theatre Command told reporters on Saturday that warships, early warning planes, and bombers were deployed during Friday's exercises to improve the joint combat capabilities of China's military in the area. On the same day that Taiwan proposed increasing military spending by $8.7 billion over the next five years, it warned of a "severe threat" from China and urged an urgent upgrade of weapons.

The Chinese patrols and drills also coincided a transit by a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on Friday, which the U.S. Navy called a “routine” passage through international waters. Chinese military personnel in eastern China are being monitored throughout the entire journey of the USS Barry, according to a separate statement from the Eastern Theatre Command.

Speaking on Friday, Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang said the government had to take the threat from China seriously. “The Chinese Communists plot against us constantly,” he said.

Taiwan’s defense spending “is based on safeguarding national sovereignty, national security, and national security. We must not relax. We must have the best preparations so that no war will occur,” he added.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu made remarks this week saying Taiwan was a "sea fortress" blocking China's expansion into the Pacific. China, for its part, criticized Wu on Friday. According to the Taiwan Affairs Office, Wu's goal was to deceive the public and obtain public support for the non-Chinese forces.

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