Taipei [Taiwan] September 21 : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that it detected seven Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels operating around Taiwan from 6 am (local time) on Friday to 6 am (local time) on Saturday.
According to the MND, five of the seven People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering the northern and central areas of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
In response, Taiwan dispatched aircraft and naval vessels, along with coastal-based missile systems, to monitor PLA activities.
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}7 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 5 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and central ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly. pic.twitter.com/UYKPqLn2pB— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) September 21, 2024
This latest Chinese military activity adds to a series of similar provocations by Beijing in recent months. China has increased its military operations near Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ and military exercises around the island.
Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating near Taiwan, according to a report by Taiwan News.
Gray zone tactics are considered "a series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempt to achieve one's security objectives without resorting to direct and sizable use of force."
Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949; however, China views Taiwan as part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
Earlier in July, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te accused the Chinese government of misinterpreting a United Nations resolution to justify its military activities against Taiwan, as reported by the Central News Agency (CNA).
He condemned China for its inaccurate interpretation of UN Resolution 2758, including drawing an inappropriate linkage to its "One China" principle. While addressing the annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in Taipei, Lai stated that this move aims not only to "construct a legal basis for China's military aggression against Taiwan," but also to obstruct Taiwan's efforts to participate in international organizations.
China claims that the UN resolution confirmed its one-China principle, implying that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is part of China, according to the CNA report. After Lai Ching-te's remarks, the IPAC adopted a "model resolution."
According to the resolution, members will seek to redress what they call China's "distortion" of the UN resolution by passing resolutions in their respective parliaments.
In its model resolution, IPAC raised concerns over "sustained efforts" by Chinese officials to distort the meaning of the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1971, which states that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations," as reported by the Central News Agency (CNA).
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