Taiwan tracks four Chinese military aircraft, naval vessels around the country
May 02, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], May 2 : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that it detected four Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around the country, among which three crossed the median line between 6 am Wednesday and 6 am Thursday, Taiwan News reported.
According to the Defence Ministry, "Four People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets had been detected in the Taiwan Strait."
Further, the MND added that the fighters crossed the median line and entered the northern and southwestern air defence identification zone (ADIZ), as per Taiwan News.
https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1785842691064172934
In an official post on X, MND said, "4 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."
According to Taiwan News, the ministry stated that it closely monitored the situation utilizing its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
In response, combat patrol aircraft were scrambled, naval vessels dispatched, and land-based air defence missile systems deployed.
Recently on May 1, MND on Tuesday said it detected seven Chinese military aircraft between 6 am (local time) on Monday to 6 am (local time) on Wednesday.
In an official post on X, MND said, "Taiwan 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am(UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces has monitored the situation and responded accordingly. Illustration is not provided due to no PLA aircraft crossing the median line or entering our SW ADIZ during this timeframe."
Since September 2020, Beijing has increasingly employed the use of "gray zone tactics" in the form of deployments of military aircraft and naval vessels over the median line and inside Taiwan's ADIZ.
According to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), gray zone tactics are "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resorting to direct and sizable use of force."
The median line of the Taiwan Strait served for decades as a tacit border, but the Chinese military has more flagrantly sent aircraft, warships, and drones across it since former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, becoming the highest-level US official to visit in nearly three decades.
An ADIZ is a self-declared area in which a country claims the right to identify, locate, and control approaching foreign aircraft but is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law.
