Taiwan detects 6 Chinese aircraft, 7 naval vessels operating near its airspace, waters

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) has said that it detected six Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels operating near Taiwan’s airspace from 6 am (local time) on Thursday to 6 am (local time) on Friday.

According to Taiwan’s MND, four of the 7 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). In response to Chinese activity, Taiwanese armed forces monitored the situation and deployed aircraft, naval vessels and coastal missile systems.

In a post on X, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) stated, “6 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.”

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, Central News Agency (CNA) reported. However, the Chinese military has more freely sent aircraft, warships and drones across it since former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

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 a statement posted on X, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence 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.”

So far in May, Taiwan has detected Chinese military aircraft 98 times and naval vessels 41 times, Taiwan News reported on Thursday. Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by 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.”