Taiwan's national defense ministry said, on Thursday, that 16 Chinese planes and three military warships were spotted near the island in the previous 24 hours.

"16 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today," the ministry said in a statement. 

It is also worth noting that four of the aircraft were identified as a Xian JH-7 bomber, a BZK-007 reconnaissance drone, and two Shenyang J-16 fighters, as per the ministry.

The ministry confirmed that the situation has been closely monitored and stated that a combat air patrol plane, military ships, and land-based missile systems had been ordered to "respond to these activities."

This is happening shortly after a US delegation visited the island of Taiwan, headed by Assistant Trade Representative for China Affairs Terry McCartin from January 14-17, for trade talks following the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which was formed by both Washington and Taipei last June.

It is worth noting that tensions in the Taiwan Strait reached an all-time high in August 2022, following a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, the US continues to irk China and violate the One-China principle by sailing its warships through the Taiwan Strait and arming Taiwan with billions of dollars worth of weapons.