Taiwan detected 26 Chinese military aircraft operating near the island over the past 24 hours, 16 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence announced today.
According to the ministry’s daily bulletin, cited by EFE, the incursions occurred between 06:00 on Friday and 06:00 on Saturday local time. During the same period, seven Chinese warships were also detected in waters near the island.
Of the 26 aircraft recorded, 16 crossed the median line of the Strait — an unofficial boundary that for decades served as a tacit line of separation between both sides — and penetrated areas in the north, centre and southwest of Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). In response, Taiwan’s armed forces deployed fighter jets, navy vessels and ground-based missile systems to monitor the situation and respond if necessary.
This is the largest number of Chinese aircraft detected by Taiwan since February 25, when the defence ministry reported the presence of 30 aircraft in what Beijing described at the time as a “joint combat readiness patrol.” Between late February and early March, Taiwan had recorded significantly lower than usual Chinese air activity, with several days passing without reported incursions.
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China considers Taiwan one of its provinces whose sovereignty it has not recognised, while Taiwan’s government maintains the island is an autonomous territory with its own political and military system. In recent years, Beijing has stepped up military pressure around Taiwan through the near-daily deployment of aircraft and warships near the island — a strategy Taipei denounces as an intimidation campaign designed to wear down its armed forces and reinforce China’s territorial claims.
