Two Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan's air defense identification zone

A People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Ka-28 anti-submarine warfare helicopter appeared in the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), reported Taiwan News.

It further reported that a Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane flew into the southwest and southeast corners of the zone.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the aircraft.

An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country's airspace where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves.

China, has sent 35 military aircraft into Taiwan's identification zone, including 14 fighter jets, 13 spotter planes, six bombers, and two helicopters, Taiwan News reported.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into the ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner.

In 2021, Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's ADIZ on 961 instances over 239 days, according to the MND, reported Taiwan News.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war. (ANI)