Taiwan detects 35 sorties of Chinese aircraft, 8 vessels in its territory

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence on Wednesday detected 35 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, eight People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels, and two official ships operating around Taiwan.

According to the MND, 25 of the PLA aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Sharing a post on X, MND wrote, "35 sorties of PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels and 2 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 25 out of 30 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."

MND on Tuesday detected 31 Chinese military aircraft, seven naval vessels, and one official ship operating around the island by 6 am (UTC+8).

Of the 31 aircraft, 30 crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line and entered the northern and southwestern parts of Taiwan's ADIZ.

Sharing a post on X, MND wrote, "31 sorties of PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels, and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 30 out of 31 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ."

Meanwhile, the MND also said that China launched satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) at 2:09 am (UTC+8) today.

In another post, MND wrote, "At 02:09 (UTC+8) today, China launched satellites from #XSLC, with the flight path over central Taiwan toward the Western Pacific. The altitude is beyond the atmosphere, posing no threat. #ROCArmedForces monitored the process and remain ready to respond accordingly."

Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples has criticised a former legislator for echoing "United Front" slogans during an event in China, asserting that Taiwan's indigenous peoples are not "descendants of the Yellow Emperor," Taipei Times reported.

The council emphasised that any exchanges involving indigenous communities must be based on mutual respect and equality, without promoting political agendas.

The controversy centres around former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator and National Dong Hwa University professor Yosi Takun, who recently attended an event hosted by China's Yunnan Minzu University. During the event, a banner proclaiming "Both sides of the Strait share the same ancestry, Zhonghua spirit, and are one big family" was prominently displayed.

Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples rejected this narrative, reaffirming that Taiwan's indigenous peoples are of Austronesian descent, not of Chinese lineage."

Taiwan's indigenous peoples are not descendants of the Yellow Emperor," the council declared, adding that these communities are culturally and linguistically linked to the Austronesian family, not the Sino-Tibetan language family. The council criticised Yosi's remarks at the event, where he described minority cultures as an "important part of Chinese civilisation.