Taiwan detects five Chinese aircraft operating around its territory

The aircraft and vessels were detected operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time) on Friday. All the five People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Sharing a post on X, MND wrote, "5 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today."

"5 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," the post added.

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1872447306957803873

Earlier on Thursday, MND reported the operation of five PLAN vessels around Taiwan.

"5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForce have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. Illustration of flight path isn't provided due to no PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan were detected," the Ministry of National Defence had said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi expressed concerns about the situations in the South China Sea and others, and with regards to Taiwan, he stated that Japan is closely monitoring relevant developments, including the recent military activities, and reiterated that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is extremely important for the international community, including Japan.

Recently, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also criticised China's stance towards Taiwan and said that "China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple societies."

He said, "We need to be clear-eyed about China's ambitions. China is substantially building up its forces, including its nuclear weapons - with no transparency and no limitations. From 200 warheads in 2020, China is expected to have more than 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. Its space-launch investments are skyrocketing. China is bullying Taiwan, and pursuing access to our critical infrastructure in ways that could cripple our societies."

The Taiwan Strait remains a focal point of heightened tensions, with Taiwanese officials repeatedly condemning the increase in Chinese military operations as a direct threat to the island's sovereignty and regional peace. However, China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary. (ANI)