Taiwan detects 47 Chinese aircraft, 7 naval vessels near its shores

Taiwan detected 47 sorties of Chinese aircraft and seven Chinese vessels until 6 am (local time) on Saturday, a statement by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said.

As per the MND, out of 47 sorties, 41 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ.

In a post on X, MND said, "47 PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 41 out of 47 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."

 

Earlier on Friday, Taiwan detected 18 sorties of Chinese aircraft and seven Chinese vessels until 6 am (local time), a statement by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said.

As per the MND, out of 18 sorties, 13 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ.

"18 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 13 out of 18sortiese crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."

Earlier on Thursday, a spokesperson from the United States Department of State heavily criticised China's recent military exercises near Taiwan, calling them "brazen and irresponsible threats," while reaffirming the United States' long-standing support for Taipeithe (capital city), as reported by Taipei Times.

The spokesperson said, "China cannot credibly claim to be a 'force for stability in a turbulent world' while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan."

According to the Taipei Times, the official emphasized that Washington's long-standing commitment to Taiwan would persist as it has for 45 years, and the US "will keep supporting Taiwan in response to China's military, economic, informational, and diplomatic pressure."

"Together with our international partners, we strongly advocate for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and oppose any efforts to alter the status quo through force or coercion," the spokesperson added.