Saturday, January 4th, 2025

Taiwan detects 22 PLA aircraft including J-16 fighter jet, KJ-500


Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense (MND) on Thursday detected 22 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets and KJ-500, over Taiwan’s territory.

The MND noted that 18 of these aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait, entered Taiwan’s northern, central, south-western and eastern air defense identification zones (ADIZ) and conducted joint air-to-air combat with other Chinese naval vessels. Conducted sea training.

“A total of 22 #PLA aircraft of various types (including J-16, KJ-500 etc.) were detected since 8:50 am today,” MND wrote in a post shared on Twitter.

It added, “18 of which crossed the midline of the #Taiwan Strait and entered the Northern, Central, South-Western and Eastern ADIZ to conduct air-sea joint training with other PLAN ships. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

Earlier in the day, the MND reported the operation of three Chinese PLA aircraft and seven PLAN ships near Taiwan.

According to the MND, all three aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ.

MND shared a post on Twitter, writing, “As of 6 am today (UTC+8), 3 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected. 3 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.

On Wednesday, the MND had detected the operation of two PLA aircraft and seven PLAN ships near Taiwan. According to the MND, one of the two PLA aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ.

Meanwhile, the MND on Tuesday reported the operations of five Chinese PLA aircraft and six PLAN ships near Taiwan. Three of the five PLA aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ.

Recently, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had also criticized China’s stance.

“We need to be clear-eyed about China’s ambitions,” he/she said. China is massively building up its forces, including its nuclear weapons – without any transparency and without any limits. From 200 weapons in 2020, China is expected to have more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. Its space-launch investments are skyrocketing. China is threatening Taiwan, and accessing our critical infrastructure in a way that could paralyze our society.

The Taiwan Strait remains a focal point of heightened tensions, with Taiwanese officials repeatedly condemning the increase in Chinese military operations as a direct threat to the island’s sovereignty and regional peace. However, China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, ultimately insists on reunification, by force if necessary.



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