Taipei [Taiwan], December 18 : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) stated that it detected 15 Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels and four official ships around Taiwan between 6 am (local time) on Tuesday and 6 am (local time) on Wednesday.
According to the MND, of the 15 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, two crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country's southwestern and eastern air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
In a post on X, Taiwan's MND said, "15 PLA aircraft, 9 PLAN vessels and 4 official ships operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."
https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1869186185513570712
Chinese activity spiked around Taiwan.
On Tuesday, Taiwan reported 10 Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels near its territory.
In a post on X, the Taiwanese MND said, "10 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."
https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1868823428708376805
This incident follows a recent pattern of escalated manoeuvres by China around Taiwan, raising concerns over regional stability as Beijing continues to assert its claims over the island.
Earlier on Tuesday, China's Foreign Ministry 'denied' the existence of Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Monday following the arrival of US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks in Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.
The denial came in response to the MND's announcement that the first batch of 38 tanks, part of a 108-unit purchase from the US, had reached Hsinchu County's Hukou Township.
Addressing the development, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian claimed to be correcting the terminology, stating, "There is no such thing as the 'Ministry of National Defence' in Taiwan."
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