China spikes military activity around Taiwan

Taiwan detected one sortie of Chinese aircraft, eight Chinese vessels and one official ship until 6 am (local time) on Saturday, a statement by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said.

As per the MND, the sortie crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s eastern ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone).

In a post on X, the Taiwanese MND said, “1 sortie of PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 sortie entered Taiwan’s eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

Earlier on Friday, Taiwan detected 30 Chinese aircraft, eight naval vessels and one official ship around itself.

“30 PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 20 out of 30 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored situation and responded.”

On Thursday, Taiwan detected 28 sorties of various types until 9:20hr (local time). 20 out of 28 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, southwestern and southeastern ADIZ.

On March 26, China sent 27 sortie of PLA aircraft, six PLAN vessels and two official ships around Taiwan.

In light of recent incursions by China, Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises will focus on China’s increasing use of “gray zone” tactics and the possibility of an invasion by 2027, the Ministry of National Defence announced, Taipei Times reported.

The decision comes as security experts and military officials worldwide continue to cite 2027 as a key deadline for Taiwan’s defence strategy.

Amid this backdrop, Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications is considering amendments which will require vessels of all sizes to install automatic identification systems (AIS) in a bid to track ships near Taiwan’s shores as well as prevent Chinese incursions, the Taipei Times reported.