Taiwan Says US Flies Bombers Near Island After China Drills

A group of Taiwan Air Force technicians run behind a US-made F-16V fighter jet during an exercise at a military base in Chiayi, southern Taiwan on Jan. 15, 2020. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

TAIPEI— Three U.S. Air Force planes, including two B-52 bombers, flew near Taiwan on Feb. 12, the island’s defense ministry said, after Taiwan’s air force scrambled earlier in the week to intercept Chinese jets.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer, even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, and is also the island’s main source of arms.