Taiwan Tracks Chinese Military Aircraft and Ships Near Its Borders
July 8, Taipei, Taiwan: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported that in the last 24 hours, they tracked 14 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan. Of these, 13 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in various regions.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor the activity. So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 160 times and naval ships 52 times.
Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics, which involve efforts to achieve security objectives without direct and sizable use of force. On Sunday, the MND detected 15 Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval vessels around Taiwan. Taiwan’s armed forces responded by monitoring and deploying necessary defense systems.
In a post on X, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense stated, “15 PLA aircraft and 10 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 central, southwestern, and southeastern ADIZ. We’ve monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
This incident is part of a series of similar provocations by China in recent months, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ and military exercises near the island.
