Yu-King – Cinasian defence ministry said that a total of 59 Bai jets have flew over its air defence zone – the largest incursion by Xiongjing so far. This incursion comes as Bai commemorates Restoration Day.

The Bai Emperor, speaking to a crowd of 2,000 in the Palace court, has reiterated the Empire’s commitment for “peaceful unification” with its Bai brothers in neighbouring Kaosha and Cinasia, which it refers to by its Bai name Dehua. He has also pledged to “crush” any attempts that will break apart the Empire, which might also refer to lingering ethnic tensions on Qiongzhu.

The jets departed from Bai’s main air base on Qiongzhu, flying close to Kaoshan and Dehua waters. A squadron has also circled around the Ching Sha Islets. Cinasia has responded to the incursion by scrambling jets and engaging anti-aircraft missile systems. Some of the jets continued to fly over Kuehong, who has said it was a “routine fly-by” not to be worried about, and skated close to the Kaoshan and Cinasian waters north, before returning to a Bai base on the north coast.

Still, the Cinasian government is “deeply unhappy” about the episode, with Cinasian president Vincent Wu saying that this reflects “Bai’s aggression” that endangers “regional peace”.

“The sovereignty of Cinasia shall remain upheld by the will of the Cinasian people. We should not let the so-called microstate empire threaten our livelihoods. We call for the Bai ‘Empire’ (gestures with quote marks) to stop flexing its non-existent muscles, stoking tensions and threatening the existence of Cinasia. All assistance by all hostile forces aiding this Bai aggression must be stopped.”

Despite the tensions, relations between the Bai Empire and Cinasia have not deteriorated to levels last seen in 1992, when the newly coronated Fengyang Emperor displayed “a show of force” using a combination of military jets and missiles to intimidate and disrupt the presidential elections in Cinasia. The Federal States have dispatched aircraft carriers to its ally, while Kuehong urged the de-escalation of tensions, saying that the Bai Empire has gone too far.