Taiwan records 9 Chinese sorties, 4 naval vessels around its territory

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence recorded the presence of 4 PLAN vessels and 9 sorties of PLA aircraft around its territory on Saturday.

Sharing the details in a post on X, the MND said, "9 sorties of PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 9 out of 9 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."

Earlier in a post on X on Friday, it shared that 4 PLAN vessels were operating around Taiwan. 9 out of 11 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ.

On Thursday, MND detected three sorties of Chinese military aircraft and four Chinese naval vessels operating around its territorial waters.

Of the three, one sortie crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern ADIZ.

The fresh incursions mark yet another episode in China's continuing military pressure campaign against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

The frequent incursions and maritime operations reflect rising tensions between Taiwan and China, a relationship long fraught with geopolitical strain.

Meanwhile, China's swift growth and diversification of its nuclear capabilities have led to concerns that Beijing might engage in "nuclear blackmail" or even nuclear conflict with Western countries if they intervene in a Taiwan dispute, reminiscent of the warnings from the Kremlin during its incursion into Ukraine, as reported by Central News Agency (CNA).During the military parade on September 3 in Tiananmen Square, China showcased three missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads: the JL-1 air-launched ballistic missile, the JL-3 submarine-launched intercontinental missile, and the DF-61 surface-to-surface intercontinental missile.

This threatening exhibition of what analysts characterise as a potential Chinese "nuclear triad", the capacity to launch nuclear weapons via air, land, and sea, has heightened alarms among democratic nations. Previously, China did not possess the capability to conduct airborne nuclear strikes, according to CNA's report.