Taiwan detects 22 Chinese aircrafts, 5 naval vessels around territory

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence detected 22 Chinese aircraft and five Chinese Naval vessels operating around its territorial waters as of 6 am on Thursday (local time).

As per the MND, of the 22 aircraft, 15 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ.

In a post on X, MND said, "22 sorties of PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 15 out of 22 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."

Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan's MND detected 21 Chinese aircraft and seven Chinese Naval vessels operating around its territorial waters.

In a post on X, Taiwan's MND said, "21 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 17 out of 21 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."

Regular inspections are set to begin next year to address the issue of military personnel, civil servants, and public-school educators possessing Chinese citizenship or household registration, according to a report by Taipei Times citing the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).

Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area states that Taiwanese individuals who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport will lose their Taiwanese citizenship and be barred from working in the military, public service, or public education, as reported.

In order to identify and prevent the unauthorised employment of individuals holding Chinese ID cards or residential permits, systematic inspections will be implemented starting on January 1 of next year, the council indicated, as noted by Taipei Times.

Recruits or transferred military personnel, civil servants, and public-school instructors must comply with these inspections. Failure to do so may result in the suspension of their qualification assessments and employment or reassignment, as per the regulations and their employment agreements, it was explained.

Considering the size of the civil service and the diversity of its personnel, the regular inspection procedure will be introduced gradually, the council stated. In the initial phase, only essential personnel from the military, civil service, and public education institutions will undergo regular inspections, while others will be exempt, according to the report from Taipei Times.