Taiwan maintains surveillance on 9 Chinese military aircraft across country

“9 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities,” Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said in a tweet.

As reported by ANI, the ministry further said in a statement that 9 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. 1 of the detected aircraft had entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ. R.O.C. “Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” the ministry noted.

During the period of June 27 to June 28, Taiwan reported that 11 Chinese aircraft had violated the median line in the Taiwan Strait.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), out of the 11 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, three were detected within Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). This includes a BZK-005 reconnaissance drone, which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait in the southwest area of the zone. The information was reported by Taiwan News, citing the MND.

According to Taiwan News, in the southwest sector of the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), one WZ-7 reconnaissance drone and one Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter were also monitored.

Taiwan has taken action by deploying aircraft, naval ships, and land-based missile systems to monitor the activities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in response.

According to Taiwan News, China has intensified its use of grey zone tactics since September 2020, gradually increasing the presence of military aircraft and naval ships in the vicinity of Taiwan. In the current month alone, China has deployed 318 military aircraft and 142 naval ships near Taiwan.

The report noted that grey zone tactics refer to a range of actions that go beyond traditional deterrence and assurance measures, aiming to achieve security objectives without resorting to direct and significant use of force. In recent events, Taiwan monitored a total of 24 Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships between June 11 and June 12.

MND noted that ten of the 24 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including four Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, four Shenyang J-16 combat jets, and two Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes, entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and crossed the Taiwan Strait median line.

(With inputs from ANI)

Updated: 30 Jun 2023, 02:14 PM IST