Amid rising tensions, Taiwan reports Chinese military incursion near the island

According to official statements, as of 6 am today (local time), 10 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and 6 People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were detected.

Of particular concern was the incursion of 7 aircraft, breaching Taiwan's southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) across the midline of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's armed forces, represented by the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCArmedForces), closely monitored the situation and responded appropriately to the perceived threat.

“As of 6am today (UTC+8), 10 PLA ​​(Chinese) aircraft and 6 PLAN (Chinese) ships operating around Taiwan were detected. 7 aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly,” Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a post on Twitter.

The provocative maneuvers by Chinese military assets come amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China, with Beijing asserting its territorial claims to the self-ruled island. Taiwan has long been a source of dispute between China and the international community, with Beijing considering the island an integral part of its territory, while Taiwan maintains its sovereignty.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Wednesday it detected seven naval vessels and two Chinese military aircraft over the country between 6 a.m. (local time) and 6 a.m. (local time).

In a post on Twitter, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said, “2 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. today (UTC+8). #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

As of 6am today (UTC+8), 2 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN ships were detected operating around Taiwan. #ROCArmedForces Have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. pic.twitter.com/tI9zwQIxAt

– Ministry of National Defense, ROC 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) 24 April 2024

The Taiwan Defense Ministry said it used its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems to monitor the situation. In response to China's actions, Taiwan dispatched combat patrol aircraft and naval ships, and deployed land-based air defense missile systems.

So far in April, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has detected Chinese military aircraft 207 times and naval ships 144 times. Since September 2020, China has intensified the use of “gray zone tactics” by deploying military aircraft and naval ships along the median line and inside Taiwan's ADIZ, Taiwan News reported.