Taiwan detects 11 Chinese aircraft sorties, 6 naval vessels near territory

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) detected 11 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and six vessels from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operating around Taiwan until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) on Thursday.

According to the MND, out of the 11 aircraft sorties, 9 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern Air Defence Identification Zones (ADIZ).

"11 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 9 out of 11 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," MND stated in an X post.

Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan saw a rise in Chinese occupation in the region, detecting 25 sorties of Chinese aircraft, six Chinese naval vessels and one official ship. Of the 25 sorties, 18 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone).

"25 PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 18 out of 25 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded," MND stated on X.

In light of the heightened Chinese military activity around Taiwan, the G7 Foreign Ministers, along with the High Representative of the European Union, expressed concern over China's recent "provocative actions", especially the large-scale military drills conducted around Taiwan.

In a joint statement, G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US and the High Representative of the EU highlighted the growing frequency of "destabilising activities", warning that they raise tensions across the Taiwan Strait and pose risks to global security and prosperity.

The US Department of State in a statement released on Sunday said, "We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, express deep concern about China's provocative actions, particularly the recent large-scale military drills around Taiwan."

Last week, the US and the EU restated their disapproval of any unilateral alterations to the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait following the Chinese military's recent series of joint drills around Taiwan, according to a report by Taipei Times.