20 Chinese military aircraft seen approaching island: Taiwan MoD
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Amid escalating tensions, Taiwan's Defense Ministry reports a surge in Chinese military activity, including aircraft approaching the island and naval patrols near the island.
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In this grab from a video released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese navy ship Xuzhou-class sails off the Taiwan coast on Saturday, August 19, 2023 (AP)
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said today, Saturday, that it had detected, during the past 24 hours, 20 aircraft of the Chinese Air Force entering the island's "air defense zone."
Aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to the Taiwanese Ministry, describing it as a significant escalation in Chinese military operations near the island.
Yesterday, Taiwan's armed forces on Friday detected 22 aircraft of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) approaching the island, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said.
"Since 0700 (UTC+8) today, [the Taiwanese armed forces] detected 22 PLA aircraft [...], 13 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered our ADIZ [air defense identification zone]," the Ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that the aircraft included drones and a H-6 jet bomber and were accompanied by five vessels of the Chinese navy.
This comes as China, in direct response to recent developments, conducted extensive military exercises encircling Taiwan over the weekend. This response was triggered by the visit of the Taiwanese Vice President, William Lai, to the US earlier this month, a move that Beijing vehemently opposed, considering it a violation of the one-China policy.
According to Taiwan's Defense Ministry, the Chinese military activity began at approximately 7 am local time, with the detection of 22 Chinese aircraft, including fighters, bombers, early warning planes, and drones. Out of these, 13 aircraft breached Taiwan's closely guarded "response" zone, a strategically significant area in the region. While the exact coordinates of this zone are not publicly disclosed, it is closely monitored by Taiwanese authorities.
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Taiwan later responded by deploying its own aircraft and naval assets to monitor the Chinese forces.
In a separate development, Taiwan's Defense Ministry also reported the sighting of two Chinese drones within the last 24 hours. These drones crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which had served as an informal boundary between the two entities.
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This is the second wave of military drills initiated by China in response to the visit of the Taiwanese VP to the US.
On August 20, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said on Sunday that 45 aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and nine ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were seen approaching the island over the past day.
In particular, 27 aircraft of the Chinese armed forces, including nine SU-30 fighters, 12 J-10 fighters, four J-11 fighters, one Y-9 transport aircraft, and one Z-9 helicopter, crossed the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island's air defense identification zone, the Ministry claimed on X.
