Taiwan reports Chinese military activity near its territory, sees 21 PLA aircraft, seven naval ships

According to Taiwan's MND, 16 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern air defense identification zones (ADIZ).

In response to the Chinese incursion, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

“As of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, 21 PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN ships, and 1 official ship have been spotted around Taiwan. 16 aircraft have crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern, and eastern ADIZs. We are monitoring the situation,” Taiwan's MND told X.

This latest military activity by China adds to a series of similar provocative actions taken by Beijing in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ and military exercises near the island.

According to a report by Taiwan News, since September 2020, China has intensified its use of grey zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships near Taiwan.

The report says grey zone strategies are considered “an effort, or series of efforts, beyond static deterrence and reassurance that attempts to achieve their security objectives without the direct and large-scale use of force.”

Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on reunification by force if necessary.

On September 1, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said that China's goal in annexing Taiwan is not out of concern for “territorial integrity” but to “change the rules-based global order” and “achieve hegemony,” the Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

In an interview on a local TV network, Lai stressed that China's goal of annexing Taiwan is not motivated by the issue of territorial integrity.

“If the issue is really about maintaining territorial integrity, why don't they take back the land they ceded to Russia under the Treaty of Aigun?” the Taiwanese president said, reports Central News Agency (CNA), referring to the 1858 agreement between the Qing dynasty and the Russian Empire under which about 600,000 square kilometres of land in Manchuria was ceded to Russia.

Lai Ching-te reiterated that Taiwan “can never agree to the 'one China' principle of the 1992 consensus” because doing so would mean “de facto ceding Taiwan's sovereignty to China”.

In addition, he also reaffirmed his commitment to continuing the policies of his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen. This includes modernizing military training to make the armed forces “more self-confident” and advancing Taiwan's submarine building program.