Taiwan sees 8 Chinese aircraft, 8 naval ships near its territory

Taiwan spotted eight Chinese aircraft and eight naval ships near its territory on Friday morning (local time), its Defence Ministry said.

Three of these aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), following which the Taiwanese armed forces retaliated.

“As of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, 8 PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN ships have been observed operating around Taiwan. 3 of these aircraft entered our southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces has monitored the situation and taken action accordingly,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) posted on X.

As of 6 a.m. today (UTC+8), 8 PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN ships were detected flying around Taiwan. 3 of these aircraft entered our southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces The situation is being monitored and response is being given accordingly. pic.twitter.com/tWRUDDZiam

— Ministry of National Defense, ROC 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) June 14, 2024

Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of grey zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating near Taiwan.

So far in June, Taiwan has detected Chinese military aircraft near its territory more than 132 times and naval/coast guard ships more than 109 times, Taiwan News reported.

Earlier, Taiwan observed the movement of 23 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval ships around the island country from 6 am Wednesday (local time) to 6 am Thursday (local time).

Of the 23 Chinese military aircraft, 19 crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest and east air defense identification zones (ADIZ).

In response to China’s actions, the Taiwanese armed forces sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor China’s activities.

As Taiwan News reports, gray zone tactics are characterized as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and reassurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without using direct and massive force.”

This latest incident is among a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular aerial and naval incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

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