Taipei [Taiwan], May 4 : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence detected eight sorties of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, seven vessels from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and one official Chinese ship operating around Taiwan up to 6 am (UTC+8) on Sunday.
Six of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern Air Defence Identification Zones (ADIZ). Taiwan has been closely monitoring the situation and has responded accordingly.
Sharing a post on X, MND wrote, "8 sorties of PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 6 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."
}}}}8 sorties of PLA aircraft, 7 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 6 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded. pic.twitter.com/lzURo0sgx1— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, ROC(Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) May 4, 2025
Seven sorties of PLA aircraft, seven PLAN vessels and one ship were detected near Taiwan on Saturday.
All seven sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ.
This incident follows a recent pattern of escalated manoeuvres by China around Taiwan, sparking concerns over regional stability as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the island. Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
China and Taiwan have frequently accused one another of spying, and Taiwan has arrested several people it says Beijing has hired to get intelligence or sway public opinion. According to RFA, Beijing usually rejects any role in espionage operations against Taiwan, referring to the charges as "politically motivated" or "groundless.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Carter Center and Emory University in Atlanta revealed that over half of the Chinese population opposed using force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, as reported by Taipei Times.
The findings, released on Wednesday in a report titled "Sovereignty, Security, and US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion," indicated that 55.1 per cent of participants either agreed or somewhat agreed that "the Taiwan issue should not be resolved through force under any circumstances. In comparison, 24.5 per cent either 'strongly or somewhat' disagreed with this statement, according to Taipei Times.
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