A Chinese military Y-8 marine patrol plane yesterday entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the seventh such incursion this month, the Ministry of National Defense said.
In response to the incursion, the air force scrambled planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issued radio warnings and mobilized air defense assets, until it left the ADIZ, the ministry said.
An ADIZ is established by a country to enable identification, location and control of approaching foreign aircraft.
However, unlike territorial airspace, no legal foundation for the ADIZ is explicitly stipulated in international law.
Due to the increasing number of incursions by Chinese military planes in the past few months, the ministry on Sept. 17 began publishing their movements regularly on its Web site to keep the public better informed.
A recent report by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research showed that the Chinese military last year crossed into Taiwan’s ADIZ more times than in any year since 1996, with the most crossings observed in the zone’s southwest corner.
The Chinese intrusions are connected with the frequency of US military activity in the area, the institute said.
Among other reasons cited by the institute was that China is testing Taiwan’s military response, as the median line that separates the two countries does not extend into the southwest ADIZ.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s actions are also aimed at increasing its presence to expand Beijing’s influence, it added.
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