Island of Taiwan Detects 68 Chinese Warplanes and 10 Vessels in Recent Reports
Some of the aircraft carried out drills with the Chinese aircraft carrier the Shandong, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said.
Taiwan on Thursday reported a total of 68 Chinese warplanes and 10 Chinese vessels near its territory within 24 hours.
The Taiwanese ministry added that its armed forces have “monitored the situation” and “tasked [combat air patrol] aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond [to] these activities.”
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The ministry later added that 40 of the Chinese aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest or southeast Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)—an area in the airspace primarily over the East China Sea but extending beyond Taiwan’s national airspace.
The figure marked a jump from Wednesday when Taiwan reported 35 Chinese warplanes near the island, 28 of which the median line or entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ.
Some of the Chinese aircraft crossed the Bashi Channel to carry out drills with the Chinese aircraft carrier the Shandong in the Pacific, the ministry added.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views Taiwan as a future part of its territory despite Taipei’s longstanding self-rule as a democracy. Taiwan staunchly opposes China’s territorial assertions.
Over the past year, the CCP has been escalating both military and political pressure on the island, including by sending warships and warplanes on a near-daily basis.
On Monday, China sailed its own naval formation led by the aircraft carrier Shandong about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Taiwan. The vessel was expected to conduct drills simulating aircraft, submarine, warship, and land attacks, according to Chinese state media.
The CCP interprets all interactions between Taiwanese and foreign officials as challenges to its claims of authority over the island and said that its military activities near Taiwan are in response to alleged collaboration between the United States and Taiwanese independence forces.
Besides the recent incursions this year, the CCP in August 2022 staged war games around Taiwan when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan. At the time, it fired missiles over Taiwan and declared no-fly zones along neighboring areas.
US, Canadian Warships Transit Taiwan Strait
The recent deployment of Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels near Taiwan came after a warship from the United States and one from Canada sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sept.9 in an apparent challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims.
It marked the second such joint U.S.–Canadian mission since June, which coincided with the leaders of both countries attending the G20 summit in India.
Taiwan Releases Defense Report
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a report (pdf) released Tuesday that China is continuously bolstering its military bases along the coastline facing Taiwan and has been completing its airfield construction there to gain “superior air power” against the island.
“This year, the Chinese Communist Party has aggressively expanded its armaments and continued to build various types of fighter jets and drones,” Maj. Gen. Huang Wen-Chi, the assistant deputy chief with the General Staff for Intelligence of Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, said during a news conference releasing the biennial report.
“The information we have received is that all important military bases along the coast … are being continuously updated,” he added.
Aldgra Fredly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
