Taiwan reports increased Chinese military activity around it; detects 9 aircraft, 13 naval vessels

Taiwan Ministry of National Defence detected 9 Chinese military aircraft, 13 naval vessels, and one official ship around its territory from 6 am (local time) on Tuesday till 6 am (local time) on Wednesday, Taiwan News reported.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND), of the nine People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s northern air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

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

“9 PLA aircraft, 13 PLAN vessels, and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 6 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly,” Taiwan’s MND said on X.

Further, the ministry also shared another post in which they reported a significant increase in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft activity near Taiwan.

According to the MND, a total of 15 PLA aircraft were detected. The aircraft, which included J-16 and KJ-500, were observed operating in various areas.

Twelve of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, and southwestern Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

“Overall 15 #PLA aircraft in various types (including J-16, KJ-500, etc.) were detected from 0820hr today. Out of which, 12 crossed the median line of the #Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, and southwestern ADIZ,” said Taiwan MND on X.

This latest Chinese military activity adds to a series of similar provocations by Beijing in recent months. China has increased its military activities near Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ and military exercises near the island.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked 260 Chinese military aircraft and 141 ships. 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.

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.”

Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.

Earlier in July, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te accused the Chinese government of misinterpreting a United Nations resolution to justify its military activities against Taiwan and drawing an inappropriate linkage to its “One China” principle, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

Beijing claims that the UN resolution confirmed its one-China principle, which implies that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China.