China sends 27 military aircraft, six naval vessels towards Taiwan

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that 27 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels were detected operating around Taiwan from 6 am (local time) on Sunday to 6 am (local time) on Monday.

According to Taiwan’s MND, 19 of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s northern, central, southwestern, and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

In a post on X, Taiwan MND stated, “27 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 19 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

This latest Chinese military activity adds to a series of similar provocations by Beijing in recent months.

On Sunday, the Taiwanese MND said that four Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels were detected operating around Taiwan from 6 am (local time) on Saturday to 6 am (local time) on Sunday.

Two of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s northern, central, southwestern, and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), the statement added.

In a post on X, Taiwan MND stated, “4 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

After three days of no Chinese activity, Taiwan detected Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels around itself on Saturday, a statement by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence stated.

China has increased its military activities near Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ and military exercises near the island.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan.