Taiwan Monitors Chinese Military Aircraft and Ships Near Its Borders
Between 6 am on Thursday and 6 am on Friday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) detected 13 Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval vessels near its borders. Of these, 11 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zones (ADIZ) in the north, central, southwest, and east.
In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems to monitor the situation. The MND shared this information in a post on X, stating, “13 PLA aircraft and 10 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 11 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern, and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
On Thursday, the MND also detected 6 Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval vessels. Six of these aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. The MND posted, “6 PLA aircraft and 11 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 6 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
This incident is part of a series of similar actions by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ and military exercises near the island. Taiwan has been independently governed since 1949, but China considers it part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked PLA aircraft 279 times and Chinese ships 150 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics, which are efforts to achieve security objectives without direct and sizable use of force.
Doubts Revealed
Taiwan -: Taiwan is an island near China. It has its own government and is not controlled by China.
Chinese Military -: The Chinese Military is the armed forces of China. They have soldiers, ships, and planes to protect their country.
Ministry of National Defence -: This is a part of Taiwan’s government that takes care of the country’s safety and defense.
Naval Vessels -: Naval vessels are ships used by the military to protect the sea and fight if needed.
Taiwan Strait -: The Taiwan Strait is a body of water that separates Taiwan from China.
Air Defense Zones -: These are special areas in the sky where a country watches for any aircraft that might be a threat.
Missile Systems -: These are weapons that can be launched to hit targets far away, used for defense.
PLA -: PLA stands for People’s Liberation Army, which is the name of China’s military forces.
