Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence has said that 15 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels were detected Near Its Territory.
Taipei: As many as 15 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels were detected around Taiwan from 9 am (local time) on Monday to 6 am (local time) on Tuesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) said.
Of the 15 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 14 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to Taiwan’s MND. In response, Taiwan’s armed forces have monitored the situation and have responded accordingly.
In a post on X, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) stated, “15 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 14 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
So far in July, Taiwan’s MND has detected Chinese military aircraft 160 times and naval ships 52 times, Taiwan News reported. Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan.
Earlier, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 14 Chinese military and seven naval vessels around Taiwan in the last 24 hours till 6 am on Monday.
Of the 14 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 13 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern portions of the country’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Taiwan News reported citing the Ministry of National Defense.
According to Taiwan News report, gray zone tactics are “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.”
China’s behavior has been markedly assertive as of late, this recent incident being simply another link in the chain of many. Beijing has been ramping up its military activities near Taiwan, repeatedly stepping over boundaries by intruding into Taiwan’s air defense zone, and drawing uncomfortably close with its military exercises.