Taipei: Taiwan, on Wednesday, reported that a total of 22 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels were detected operating around Taiwan as of 6 am (local time), Taiwan News reported.
According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND), of the 22 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 20 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the northern, southwestern, and southeastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
According to Taiwan News, the aircraft closest to Taiwan was a helicopter detected in the southwestern ADIZ about 81 km (44 NM) southwest of Eluanbi.
In a post on X, MND said, "22 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 20 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern ADIZ. We've monitored the situation and responded accordingly."
The ministry monitored the situation with its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems and scrambled combat patrol aircraft, dispatched naval vessels, and deployed land-based air defence missile systems, as per Taiwan News.
On Tuesday, Taiwan tracked 13 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan.
Of the 13 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 10 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern sectors of the nation's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), Taiwan News reported, quoting the Ministry of National Defence, Republic of China.
So far this month, the MND has detected Chinese military aircraft 41 times and naval vessels 19 times. Since September 2020, Beijing has increased its use of "gray zone tactics" by operating more military aircraft and naval ships around Taiwan.
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According to CSIS, 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 resorting to direct and sizable use of force."
This latest incident adds to a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ.
Taiwan has long been a contentious issue in China's foreign policy. China continues to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan, considers it a part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
—ANI