Taiwan says Chinese fighter jets fly near island

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s defense ministry says the Chinese military flew 36 fighter jets and bombers near the self-ruled island. The flight is part of a long-running campaign of intimidation against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory. The Taiwanese ministry said 10 fighter jets flew across the median line in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from the mainland. Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland. The island never has been part of the People’s Republic of China.