Chinese Military Activity Near Taiwan
On Wednesday, Taiwan reported that 22 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels were detected around Taiwan as of 6 am local time. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), 20 of these aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the northern, southwestern, and southeastern regions.
The closest aircraft to Taiwan was a helicopter detected about 81 km southwest of Eluanbi. The MND monitored the situation using intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. They responded by scrambling combat patrol aircraft, dispatching naval vessels, and deploying land-based air defense missile systems.
On Tuesday, Taiwan tracked 13 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around its borders. Of these, 10 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line into Taiwan’s ADIZ. This month, the MND has detected Chinese military aircraft 41 times and naval vessels 19 times.
Since September 2020, China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, using what are known as ‘gray zone tactics.’ These tactics involve efforts to achieve security objectives without direct and sizable use of force. China continues to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
