In the past 24 hours, Taiwan’s military has spotted 22 Chinese fighter jets and 20 warships near the island.
The accumulation of military equipment comes amid rising tensions with Beijing, which is making an increasing number of sorties near the self-governing island.
The Ministry of National Defence of Taiwan announced that out of 22 Chinese aircraft, 13 crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island’s southwestern air defence identification zone.
Taiwan deployed its own aircraft, warships, and ground systems to respond the activities, the Ministry said on X (formerly Twitter).
22 PLA aircraft and 20 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities.
The intrusion into the island’s airspace came a day after Taiwan reported 39 Chinese aircraft and vessels had been detected around the island.
Beijing considers Taiwan a province that one day will return under its authority. China has vowed to reclaim the land by force if necessary. It is waging a so-called “grey zone warfare”, sending warships and planes into the island’s air defence to drain Taipei’s resources and weaken soldiers’ morale.
This month alone, Beijing has deployed 77 airplanes and 62 ships near Taiwan, according to Taiwan News.
The U.S. and Canadian militaries sent ships through the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, provoking a military response from China.
On Saturday, two warships – the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa – made a routine transit under the principle of freedom of navigation. The U.S. Seventh Fleet called it a demonstration “the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
