China unleashes 18 warplanes to buzz Taiwan in chilling show of force after anti-Beijing hardman is elected

CHINA has unleashed almost 20 warplanes and ships around Taiwan to carry out "combat patrols" amid fears Xi Jinping could invade.

It comes after Taiwan elected an just days ago and Xi made military moves in an apparent effort to ready forces for an invasion.

Fears swirled that Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party could spark war with China if it refused to resume peace talks - and now Xi appears to be making good on previous threats.

The party swept to victory in the nation's eighth presidential election - and it means there will now be at least four more years of limited to zero dialogue with Beijing.

New hardman president Lai Ching-te is openly despised by the Chinese government - which has called him a “complete troublemaker”.

Wednesday marks the first time since the elections that the island's defence ministry has reported Chinese military action nearby on such a large scale.

The "joint combat readiness patrols" involved 18 Chinese warplanes as well as ships hovering around the waterlocked state.

China regards self-governing island Taiwan as part of its territory - and has vowed to take it by force if necessary, carrying out ever more regular invasion rehearsals.

It is not the first time Xi has shot planes into the skies and sent ships into the seas around Taiwan in a show of brute intimidation.

The military display - including Su-30 fighter jets - buzzed around northern, central and south western Taiwan.

Previous theories suggest Beijing may try to "strangle" the island using a blockade - while others think it will launch a large-scale military landing on Taiwan's "red beaches".

And concerning reports on Tuesday saw Xi firing several of his most high-ranking army commanders - and replacing them with "war-ready" generals.

Military experts claim the Chinese leader is trying to reshape his military into a finely tuned machine ready to invade Taiwan, and ready to fight.

Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, claimed that his overhauling of the military is an attempt to regain control of his forces, bringing in officers who are "prepared to actually fight".

"There is a sense that many of China's general officers don't want to fight," Chang told Business Insider.

"And so we really have a force led by an officer corps that is ambivalent about going to war."

Taiwan's defence ministry said of Wednesday evening's display: "The security and prosperity of the Taiwan Strait region are closely related to global development and stability, and are obligations and responsibilities that all parties in the region must share.

"The military will continue to strengthen its self-defence capabilities in accordance with enemy threats and self-defence needs, and respond to regional threats."

There was no immediate response from China.

Despite attempts from new president-to-be Lai to hold talks with China, he has been rebuffed.

He says he will try to maintain peace and stability across the strait, but only Taiwan's people can decide its future.