Taiwan has detected 15 Chinese aircraft, eight naval ships around its territory

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said 15 Chinese military aircraft, eight naval ships and four official ships were detected operating around Taiwan as of 6 a.m. (local time) on Saturday.

According to Taiwan’s MND, 11 of the 15 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones (ADIZ).

In response to China’s actions, Taiwan dispatched aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

“As of 6am today (UTC+8), 15 PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN ships and 4 official ships operating in the vicinity of Taiwan have been detected,” MND shared in a post on Twitter. 11 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

As of 6am today (UTC+8), 15 PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN ships and 4 official ships operating in the vicinity of Taiwan were detected. 11 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. pic.twitter.com/tBJWCXQgUC

– Ministry of National Defense, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) 7 December 2024

A day earlier, the MND said that as of 6am (local time) on Friday, 16 Chinese military aircraft, 13 naval ships and two official ships had been detected operating around Taiwan.

So far in December, Taiwan has detected Chinese military aircraft 71 times and ships 50 times. Since September 2020, China has been using gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Gray zone strategy is “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and reassurance that seeks to achieve one’s security objectives without resorting to the direct and large use of force.”

The incident follows a recent pattern of increased maneuvers by China around Taiwan, raising concerns over regional stability as Beijing continues to assert its claims to the island.

Earlier on December 3, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry criticized China’s interference in diplomatic relations of other democratic countries, calling it “regrettable” that Beijing fails to understand normal diplomatic behavior between democratic countries and thus often ” constitutes a “provocative action”, reports the Taipei Times.