Taiwan: 41 Chinese army aircraft, ships detected ahead of Lai US stopover

Taiwan said Friday it detected 41 Chinese military aircraft and ships around the island ahead of a Hawaii stopover by President Lai Ching-te, part of a Pacific tour that has sparked fury in Beijing.

In the 24 hours to 6:00 am on Friday (2200 GMT Thursday), Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 33 Chinese aircraft and eight navy vessels in its airspace and waters.

That included 19 aircraft that took part in China's "joint combat readiness patrol" on Thursday evening and was the highest number in more than three weeks, according to an AFP tally of figures released daily by the ministry.

Taiwan also spotted a balloon -- the fourth since Sunday -- about 172 kilometres (107 miles) west of the island.

"It can't be ruled out that there will be a relatively large-scale military exercise in response to Lai's visit," Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told AFP.

Lai, an outspoken defender of Taiwan's sovereignty, departs Saturday on his first overseas trip since taking office in May.

He will stop briefly in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam to meet "old friends", as he visits Taiwan's three remaining allies in the Pacific.

Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.

Lai's visit to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau was aimed at shoring up Taiwan's dwindling number of diplomatic allies.

Only 12 countries and territories, including the Vatican, have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan after others jumped ship to China, which has deeper pockets for aid and investment.