Taiwan detects 15 Chinese military aircraft, 6 naval ships around nation

TAIPEI: The Ministry of National Defense said it has detected 15 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan between Saturday and Sunday, Taiwan News reported.

According to MND, of the 15 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, eight crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern and southwestern portions of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

According to Taiwan News, in response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor the PLA activity.

On June 22, Taiwan's defence ministry tracked 41 Chinese military aircraft and seven navy ships around the nation.

According to the ministry, a total of 32 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the northern, southwestern, and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 301 times and naval/coast guard vessels 183 times. Since September 2020, China has ramped up its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Gray zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force, " as per Taiwan News.

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 ADIZ.

Taiwan has long been a contentious issue in China's foreign policy. China continues to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it a part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.