Taiwan tracks eight Chinese military aircraft, seven naval ships; deploys missile systems to monitor action

Taipei [Taiwan], February 16 (ANI): Amid escalating tensions, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence tracked eight Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.

The aircraft and vessels were tracked between 6 am (local time) on Thursday and 6 am (local time) on Friday.

Out of the eight People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND.

However, no PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor the PLA activity.

“8 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels were detected operating around Taiwan up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 of the aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond,” Taiwan’s MND posted on X.

According to Taiwan News, Taipei has tracked 116 military aircraft and 72 naval ships from Beijing this year so far.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Grey 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,” Taiwan News reported.

Earlier, a record six Chinese balloons flew across Taiwan on Sunday, according to the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The Ministry said the six balloons were among eight that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait during the 24-hour period.

Of the six that crossed Taiwan, some flew over northern Keelung City and while others flew near central Taichung City, the MND added. The MND did not comment on the type of balloons involved or say why Beijing had sent them across the median line, according to Focus Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s defence spending has jumped by 24.2 per cent in 2023 compared to the last year, according to an annual global military report by the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

According to the report, IISS’ Military Balance report also found that Chinese defence spending increased by 5.4 per cent to USD 219.5 billion (NTD 6.89 trillion) in 2023, representing a 29th straight year of growth, according to Nikkei Asia.