The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that 30 Chinese military aircraft were detected around the nation in a 24-hour window — one of the highest daily totals this year.
The ministry said that 20 of the aircraft crossed into the nation’s air defense identification zone.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The military “monitored the situation and employed [patrol] aircraft, navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” it said in a statement.
Last month, 36 Chinese warplanes were detected around the nation in a 24-hour period, the highest daily total this year.
The uptick in incursions follows a pattern of what experts dub “gray zone” actions — moves that fall short of outright acts of war.
These have ramped up since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who considers Taiwan “already independent” — a position Beijing considers unacceptable.
China deploys warplanes and naval vessels around Taiwan on a near-daily basis, while balloon flights over the nation have also increased.
China does not maintain relations with nations that recognize Taiwan and has stepped up efforts to diplomatically isolate Taipei.
In January, the tiny South Pacific nation of Nauru switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
That left only 12 UN member states that recognize Taiwan.
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