Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) has reported Chinese military activity across the country. The Taiwan MND said 30 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval ships were operating near its territory from 6 am (local time) on Friday and 6 am (local time) on Saturday.
Of the total aircraft, 23 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ). According to a Taiwan News report, the Chinese military aircraft came as close as 72 kilometers to Eluanbi in the south and 77 kilometers to Keelung in the north.
In response to China's military action, Taiwan sent combat patrol aircraft and naval ships and deployed land-based air defense missile systems to monitor Beijing's activities, Taiwan News reported.
“As of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, 30 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN ships have been observed around Taiwan. 23 aircraft have entered Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and taken action accordingly,” Taiwan's MND said in a post on X.
So far in July, Taiwan's MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 131 times and naval ships 35 times. Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of “grey zone tactics” by sending more military aircraft and naval ships near Taiwan.
According to CSIS, gray zone tactics are described as “an effort, or series of efforts, beyond static-deterrence and reassurance, that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without using direct and massive force,” Taiwan News reported.
This latest incident is one of a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and military exercises near the island.
Taiwan has been governed independently from China since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on reunification, using force if necessary.
