Taiwan detects 23 Chinese military aircraft, 5 naval ships encircling it

Taiwan Ministry of National Defence (MND) said on Thursday that it tracked 23 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 am on Wednesday and 6 am on Thursday, Taiwan News reported.

In an official post on X, Taiwan Ministry of National Defense said, “23 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 8 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

According to Taiwan News, of the 23 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, eight crossed the Taiwan Strait median line,

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

On May 8, Taiwan’s defence ministry said that it detected 16 Chinese military aircraft and 6 naval vessels encircling it.

In a post on X, MND stated, “16 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 8 of the aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

The MND has issued daily reports on Chinese military activities for the past few years, including identifying those Chinese aircraft, drones, and balloons that are found to have crossed the Taiwan Strait median line to the Taiwan side.

The median line of the Taiwan Strait served for decades as a tacit border between China and Taiwan, but China’s military has more freely sent aircraft, warships and drones across it since former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 98 times and naval vessels 41 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”