Taipei [Taiwan], June 10 : Amid escalating tensions in the region, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence reported on Monday that it tracked nine Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.
According to the MND, "of the nine People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, five crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest and northeast sectors of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ)."
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor the PLA activity, as per Taiwan News.
The intrusion of PLA assets into Taiwan's airspace underscores the heightened tensions in the region, as Taiwan continues to grapple with increasing military activities from mainland China.
The latest incident further underscores Taiwan's unwavering commitment to safeguarding its territorial integrity and sovereignty amidst escalating provocations.
Concerns are mounting over the potential ramifications of heightened military posturing in one of Asia's most volatile flashpoints.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 85 times and naval/coast guard vessels 85 times. 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."
This comes at a time when the tensions between China and Taiwan are at an all-time high. Despite never having governed Taiwan, China's governing Communist Party considers it part of its territory and has threatened to conquer it by force if necessary.
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