China decries Taiwan for 'hyping up' military threat, sends warplanes

Open this photo in gallery: A J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier on April 9.An Ni/The Associated Press China's defence ministry accused Taiwan's government on Thursday of deliberately "hyping up" a military threat from China for electoral gain ahead of elections on the island in just over two weeks' time, but again sent warplanes into the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary election will shape the Chinese-claimed island's relations with Beijing, which over the past four years has ramped up military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims. As the election approaches…