Photo by Maël BALLAND
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) identified 19 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, eight People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) boats, and one government ship operating in the region as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.
15 of the 19 aircraft crossed the middle line, entering Taiwan’s northern and southern Air Defence Identification Zones (ADIZs). A Chinese balloon was also spotted during this time.
MND shared a post on X, saying, “19 PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels, and one official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today.”
It said, “15 of the aircraft breached the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. During this time period, only one PRC balloon was observed.”
Meanwhile, following the recent passage of two US ships through the Taiwan Strait, Beijing reiterated its position on Taiwan, emphasizing that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and stating that it “opposes any country challenging or threatening China’s sovereignty and security under the pretext of freedom of navigation.”
During a normal press briefing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated, “Let me emphasize that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.” The Taiwan matter is about China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, not freedom of navigation.”
He added, “China vehemently opposes any country that challenges or threatens China’s sovereignty and security under the guise of freedom of navigation.
China has significantly boosted its ability to execute amphibious assaults on Taiwan’s beaches in recent weeks by acquiring new naval weaponry. This comprises the formal introduction of a novel advanced landing helicopter assault (LHA) vessel and the mass construction of floating bridge docks to facilitate ship unloading during beach landings.
The Taiwan-China conflict has long been a geopolitical issue, with Taiwan’s sovereignty at the core. While Taiwan operated as a de facto sovereign state with its own government, military, and economy, Beijing classified it as a renegade province under the “One China” policy.
Since the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), when the Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan, China has employed diplomatic, economic, and military measures to coerce Taiwan, which has maintained its independence with strong domestic support.
