Taiwan detects 13 sorties of Chinese aircraft, 7 naval vessels around its territory

Taipei [Taiwan], December 27 : Taiwan on Saturday reported fresh Chinese military activity around the island, with multiple Chinese aircraft and naval vessels detected near its airspace and waters.

In a post on X, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that 13 sorties of Chinese PLA aircraft and seven PLAN naval vessels were spotted operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time).

The ministry said that 12 of the 13 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

"13 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 12 out of 13 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded," the ministry said.

The MND also said China launched satellites in the early hours of Saturday.

"At 00:07 (UTC+8) today, China launched satellites from #XSLC, with the flight path over central Taiwan toward the Western Pacific. The altitude is beyond the atmosphere, posing no threat. #ROCArmedForces monitored the process and remain ready to respond," the post added.

The latest activity follows similar movements reported a day earlier. On Friday, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected two sorties of Chinese military aircraft, six Chinese naval vessels and two Chinese balloons around the island by 6 am.

"Two sorties of PLA aircraft and six PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. Two PRC balloons were detected during this timeframe. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded," the ministry had said in its earlier post.

China regularly carries out military drills and patrols around Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. Taiwan, which is governed separately, has repeatedly accused Beijing of using military pressure to intimidate the island.

Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) accused China of engaging in "transnational suppression and political manipulation" after a Chinese public security agency claimed that Taiwanese nationals were responsible for a smuggling scheme involving a vessel crewed by Chinese that was damaged undersea cables earlier this year, according to the report from Taipei Times.

In June, a Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of the Togo-registered ship Hong Tai 58 to three years in prison after determining he was guilty of deliberately damaging subsea cables off Taiwan in February, which raised concerns among officials.

The public security bureau in Weihai, located in China's Shandong Province, stated that its investigation into the incident revealed that two Taiwanese individuals orchestrated a multi-vessel operation that was unlawfully transporting frozen goods into China. These findings from Chinese authorities followed interviews with seven crew members from the Hong Tai 58, as reported by Taipei Times.

The MAC has dismissed the Chinese findings in a statement.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor