Chinese electronic warfare plane enters Taiwan's air defence zone
Feb 18, 2022
Taipei [Taiwan], February 18 : A Chinese electronic warfare plane entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday, marking the 10th intrusion this month.
A single People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane flew into the southwest sector of Taiwan's ADIZ, Taiwan News reported citing the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense assets to track the PLAAF plane.
Beijing has sent a total of 34 military aircraft into Taiwan's identification zone so far this month, including 16 fighter jets, 17 spotter planes, and one helicopter, Taiwan News reported.
It further reported that since September 2020, China has increased gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner. In 2021, China military planes entered Taiwan's ADIZ on 961 instances over 239 days, according to the MND.
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," according to Taiwan News.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which have been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.
