3 Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan air defence zone, 23rd intrusion of month

Three Chinese military planes entered Taiwan air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday, said the Taiwanese defence ministry, marking it the 23rd intrusion of the month.

One People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance airplane, and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defence missile systems to track the PLAAF planes, Taiwan News reported.

A total of 83 Chinese aircraft have been spotted in Taiwan's identification zone so far in December, including 46 fighter jets, 2 bombers, and 35 spotter planes.

Since September last year, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner of the zone.

Taiwan on Thursday said it witnessed 950 intrusions by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military planes into its Air Defence Identification Zone in 2021 so far, a 60 per cent increase from the previous year.

Moreover, Taiwanese media reported that the island is anticipating a further rise in the number of intrusions as China has ramped up sorties over the past few years.

The number of flights is expected to increase further as tensions rise over major political events on two sides of the Taiwan Strait in 2022, Taiwan News reported.

Dismissing these claims, China boasted that it sent more than 940 fighters planes for routine drills which are more than what Taiwanese authorities have said.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.