Taiwan detects 30 Chinese aircraft; says 2 US naval vessels sailed through Strait

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) detected 30 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, seven People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels, and one official ship detected by 6 am today (UTC+8) around Taiwan’s territory.

Of the 30 aircraft, 23 crossed the median line into Taiwan’s northern, southwestern, and eastern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Additionally, the MND said that two US naval vessels sailed through the Taiwan Strait from north to south on February 10.

Sharing a post on X, MND wrote, “30 PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.”

The post added, “23 out of 30 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

In another post, MND wrote, “Two U.S. naval vessels sailed through the Taiwan Strait from north to south starting on the 10th. During this period, #ROCArmedForces maintained full control over the surrounding sea and airspace, with the situation remaining normal.”

On Tuesday, MND had detected 32 aircraft from the PLA, eight vessels from PLAN, and one official ship operating nearby its shores as of 6 am (UTC+8). The MND noted that 22 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. It also detected two balloons from China.

In recent weeks, China had visibly increased its capacity to conduct amphibious assaults on Taiwan’s beaches with new naval equipment. This included the formal launch of an advanced landing helicopter assault (LHA) vessel, unique in the world, and the mass production of floating bridge docks to aid ship unloading during beach landings.

The Taiwan-China conflict remained a longstanding geopolitical issue centred on Taiwan’s sovereignty. While Taiwan functioned as a de facto independent state with its own government, military, and economy, Beijing considered it a breakaway province under the “One China” policy.

Since the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), when the Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan, China had used diplomatic, economic, and military measures to pressure Taiwan, which continued to assert its independence with strong domestic support.