Taiwan: 30 Chinese Aircraft, 9 Naval Vessels Tracked

Taiwan on Wednesday said that it detected 30 Chinese military aircraft and 9 naval vessels operating around Taiwan. It was between 6 am on Tuesday to 6 am on Wednesday.

According to the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence’s statement, 20 Chinese aircraft entered its northern middle line and Taiwan’s southwest Air Defence Identification Zone.

Taking to X, Taiwan Ministry of National Defence said, “30 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8). 20 of the aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, middle line, and SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate force to respond.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Taiwan tracked 7 Chinese naval vessels and 6 military aircraft operating around the nation. This came amid escalating cross-strait tensions.

Meanwhile, The Taiwanese military on 31 March condemned the filming by drones by Chinese netizens on the outlying island of Erdan near Kinmen. The Kinmen Defence Command said local officers would take appropriate measures based on the threat level the drones posed.

The military blamed some Chinese netizens for the provocative behaviour, which could easily escalate into a serious incident.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

As per reports, overall in March, Taiwan tracked 359 Chinese military aircraft and 204 naval vessels.

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