Fabian Hamacher, Ann Wang

CHIAYI, Taiwan (Reuters – Taiwanese air force planes screamed in the sky Wednesday during a drill to simulate a war scenario. It was a demonstration of its combat readiness amid heightened tensions with China which claimed the island.

Crews from a Chiayi base, which is home to F-16 fighter planes made in America and are often scrambled by Chinese warplanes to intercept them, prepared for takeoff.

These exercises are part of a 3-day drill that showed Taiwan’s readiness to fight ahead of the Lunar New Year Holiday at the end this month.

Tensions in Taiwan Strait are on the rise. Taiwan has complained about repeated Chinese air attacks near Taiwan.

Chinese military aircraft often fly in the southwest part of the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) which is the airspace surrounding the island Taiwan monitors and polices.

“With the high number of Communist planes entering our ADIZ,” Major Yen Hsiang–sheng said to reporters. He recalled a mission where he had been dispatched to intercept Chinese J-16 fighters in late 2013.

China does not rule out the possibility of using force in order to control Taiwan.

Taiwan called China’s actions “greyzone” warfare. It was designed to wear Taiwan’s troops out by repeatedly making them scramble and to also test their responses.

Tsai Ingwen, Taiwan president said last week that military conflict wasn’t the solution in his new year message to China. Beijing warned that Taiwan crossing any line could lead to “profound disaster”.