There has been increased military activity by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in waters off eastern Taiwan since earlier this month, a military source told CNA on Wednesday.
Taiwan has continued to detect the presence of Chinese ships since Dec. 12, with one corvette detected as close as 44 nautical miles from Green Island between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, the source said.
According to the source, more frequent sorties of Taiwan’s Mirage fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters have also taken place from Zhi-Hang Air Base in Taitung County in southeastern Taiwan since Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported Wednesday that a total of 11 Chinese military aircraft and three naval ships were detected in areas around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday, including four warplanes that flew into the southwestern part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
The four warplanes were a BZK-055 unmanned aerial vehicle, a Y-8 ASW, a Y-8 EW, and a Y-8 RECCE, the ministry said.
An ADIZ is an aerial space declared by a country to allow it to identify, locate, and control approaching foreign aircraft, but it is not part of territorial airspace as defined by international law.
The military utilized combat air patrol aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems in response to the incursions, the MND said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel