Taiwan tracks 22 Chinese military aircraft, amid mounting tensions

Taiwan detected 22 Chinese military aircraft circling the island country from Saturday morning, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The aircraft that were tracked along the southeastern coast of mainland China, and were in various types (including SU-30, KJ-500, UAVs, etc.)

“Overall 22 PLA aircraft in various types (including SU-30, KJ-500, UAVs, etc.) were detected along the southeastern coast of Mainland China from 0930hr today. Out of which, 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the north and central parts of Taiwan’s ADIZ,” the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan wrote in a post on X.

Amid escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the island nation’s Ministry of National Defense has repeatedly detected Chinese military aircraft and vessels operating near Taiwan.

The provocative maneuvers by Chinese military assets come amid tensions between Taiwan and China, with Beijing asserting its territorial claims over the self-governing island.

Taiwan has long been a source of contention between China and the international community, with Beijing viewing the island as an integral part of its territory, while Taiwan maintains its sovereignty.

So far in April, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has detected Chinese military aircraft 207 times and naval vessels 144 times. Since September 2020, China has intensified the use of “gray zone tactics” by deploying military aircraft and naval vessels over the median line and inside Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to Taiwan News report.