Taiwan tracks 36 Chinese military aircraft, 6 naval vessels in its territory
Jul 05, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], July 5 : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 36 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan during the 24-hour period between Thursday and Friday, Taiwan-based Taiwan News reported.
Of the 36 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 35 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern, southwestern, and southeastern portions of the country's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND, Taiwan News reported.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.
So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 101 times and naval ships 26 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.
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."
After China issued new legal guidelines that threatened Taiwan's autonomy, the authorities once again attempted to threaten the existence of Taiwan.
According to the latest judicial guidelines imposed by China, the crimes of secession committed by Taiwanese separatists are punishable under Chinese law.
The guidelines authorise the use of trials in absentia and even the death penalty for anyone asserting Taiwan's independence, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported.
The move came when China could be noticed aggressively pushing its expansionist policies in Taiwan, even when it has no jurisdiction over Taiwan, and the People of China since its founding in 1949 has never ruled Taiwan.
While commenting on the questioned Chinese guidelines, the Human Rights Watch report said, "The guidelines regarding Taiwanese separatists are stark reminders that the Chinese government routinely threatens Taiwan and its 23 million inhabitants and has expanded its aggressive efforts to stifle their basic freedoms."
