Chinese warplane enters Taiwan's air defence zone, 4th incursion this month

A Chinese warplane entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday morning, marking the fourth such intrusion this month.

A single People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, Taiwan News reported citing the country's defence ministry.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and had air defence missile systems track the PLAAF aircraft.

Chinese planes have been tracked in Taiwan's identification zone on July 2, 3, 4, and 7. They have all consisted of slow-flying turboprops.

Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its gray-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.

Taiwan has termed the incursion by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADZ) as "unnecessary" and "thoughtless".

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.

China has also issued a warning to the United States over its increasing military contacts with Taiwan, saying the self-ruled island is an "inalienable part" of China and seeking its independence means war.

In a statement last month, Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges or military contacts between the US and Taiwan, and Washington should "sever all military ties with Taiwan".