Taiwan detects 6 Chinese naval vessels, 2 military aircraft around nation

Taipei [Taiwan], April 23 (ANI): Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence detected six Chinese naval vessels and two military aircraft around the country between 6 am on Monday and 6 am on Tuesday, Taiwan News reported.

According to the Ministry of National Defence, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defence missile systems in response to monitor the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) activity.

“2 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly,” the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence said in a post on X.

Additionally, per the MND information, no PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time, as per Taiwan News.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 205 times and naval vessels 137 times.

According to Taiwan News, since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”

The median line of the Taiwan Strait served for decades as a tacit border, but the Chinese military has more flagrantly sent aircraft, warships, and drones across it since former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, becoming the highest-level US official to visit in nearly three decades.

An ADIZ is a self-declared area in which a country claims the right to identify, locate, and control approaching foreign aircraft but is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law. (ANI)

Meanwhile, Taiwan is battling a sustained Chinese espionage campaign and to root out those spies, the legislators of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have proposed an amendment to strip benefits from military retirees who have received suspended sentences for espionage-related offences, Taipei Times reported.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen alleged that China frequently uses retired military officers to “build bridges” with active-duty military personnel in Taiwan. They penetrate Taiwan’s active military leadership as part of a long-running Chinese operation to build a spy ring among serving and retired military officers.