China Says War Could Happen 'At Any Time' After Sending Warplanes Into Taiwan's Airspace

China has revealed that a war could be triggered 'at any time' as a result of rising tensions with Taiwan which are said to be at the worst in four decades.

Over a four day period beginning last Friday (1 October), Taiwan reported close to 150 Chinese air force aircraft entered its air defence zone, with 56 crossing on Monday alone.

This is something that Taipei refers to as Beijing's continued harassment of the island.

The publication also reported that 'those in China are prepared to back all-out war with the U.S - which backs Taiwan - and warned that the island is 'playing with fire'.

China said what it displayed was a 'severe warning' to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which it accused of trying to succeed from the mainland.

The article from The Global Times went on to say: "The strategic collusion between the U.S and Japan and the DPP authorities is becoming more audacious, and the situation across the Taiwan Straits has almost lost any room for manoeuvre teetering on the edge of a face-off, creating a sense of urgency that the war may be triggered at any time."

China says Taiwan should be taken by force if necessary. Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedoms and democracy, blaming China for the tensions.

She also indicated that without help from the country's allies 'authoritarianism has the upper hand over democracy.'

The United States, Taiwan's main military supplier, has confirmed its 'rock-solid' commitment to Taiwan and also criticised China.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and they agreed to abide by the Taiwan agreement.

Mr Biden said: "I've spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree... we'll abide by the Taiwan agreement. We made it clear that I don't think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement."

The United States urged China on Sunday to stop its military activities near Taiwan.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Sunday: "The United States is very concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability."