Chinese fighter jets were mobilised to track the aircraft, reinforcing their commitment to defending territorial integrity and regional stability….reports Asian Lite News
China has expressed strong disapproval after its military shadowed a U.S. aircraft that flew over the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vowed to protect national sovereignty, following the transit of a U.S. P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft through the politically sensitive region.
According to PLA spokesperson Li Xi, Chinese fighter jets were mobilised to track the aircraft, reinforcing their commitment to defending territorial integrity and regional stability.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and asserts control over the Taiwan Strait, while the U.S. Navy maintains that the P-8A flight was in line with international law, supporting free navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
Taiwan’s defence ministry confirmed the aircraft’s passage, reporting no unusual activity.
The incident follows China’s criticism of Germany, whose military ships recently passed through the same waterway, and occurs amid continued U.S. support for Taiwan, including a recent $228 million arms deal to support Taiwan’s aircraft maintenance.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Ministry of National Defence detected 9 Chinese military aircraft, 13 naval vessels, and one official ship around its territory from 6 am (local time) on Tuesday till 6 am (local time) on Wednesday, Taiwan News reported.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND), of the nine People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s northern air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity, as per Taiwan News.
“9 PLA aircraft, 13 PLAN vessels, and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 6 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly,” Taiwan’s MND said on X.
Further, the ministry also shared another post in which they reported a significant increase in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft activity near Taiwan.
According to the MND, a total of 15 PLA aircraft were detected. The aircraft, which included J-16 and KJ-500, were observed operating in various areas.
Twelve of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, and southwestern Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
“Overall 15 #PLA aircraft in various types (including J-16, KJ-500, etc.) were detected from 0820hr today. Out of which, 12 crossed the median line of the #Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, and southwestern ADIZ,” said Taiwan MND on X.
This latest Chinese military activity adds to a series of similar provocations by Beijing in recent months. China has increased its military activities near Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ and military exercises near the island.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked 260 Chinese military aircraft and 141 ships. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan.
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