Taiwan’s Defence Ministry on Thursday reported the presence of 66 Chinese military aircraft and vessels near the island, probably heading to a military exercise in the Western Pacific.
The ministry’s statement, shared on its X platform, “66 PLA aircraft and seven PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am (2200 GMT Wednesday) today”.
It was reported that 56 of these aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, a critical 180-kilometer (110-mile) channel separating Taiwan from China. The aircraft was en route to the Western Pacific for a joint air and sea military exercise with the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong, according to the defence ministry.
Additionally, an illustration was released showing some aircraft within 33 nautical miles (61 km) of Taiwan’s southernmost point. The defence ministry is monitoring the situation.
On July 10, about 36 Chinese military aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line, also participating in the exercise with the Shandong.
In May, Beijing dispatched 62 military aircraft and 27 naval vessels around Taiwan during war games initiated after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration.
Meanwhile, the Philippines also expressed concerns on Wednesday regarding China’s “carrier strike group” deployment in the Philippine Sea.
On July 9, Japan’s Defence Ministry responded to a Chinese TB-001 unmanned reconnaissance and attack aircraft entering Japan’s air defence identification zone over the East China Sea, marking the sixth such incident this year.
