China sends warplanes into Taiwan air defence zone in response to UK minister’s visit

British trade minister Greg Hands is in Taiwan to hold talks with president Tsai Ing-wen

China sent 31 military aircraft into Taiwan's air-defence identification zone on Monday in an apparent response to British trade minister Greg Hands’s visit to the island nation.

The warplanes were part of a larger sortie of 63 aircraft and four naval vessels that were spotted near the island's "surrounding region", the Taiwanese defence ministry said.

The planes were tracked with electronic tools and Taiwan responded with aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems, it said.