Taiwan detects Chinese aircraft, six Chinese ships and a Chinese balloon

Taipei: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that it has spotted 27 Chinese aircraft, six Chinese warships, and one Chinese balloon till 6 a.m. (local time) on Thursday. Twenty of the 27 sorties, according to the MND, went over the median line and into the southern ADIZ of Taiwan.

“Up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, 27 PLA aircraft sorties and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected,” Taiwan’s MND said in a post on X. Twenty of the twenty-seven sorties entered the southern ADIZ of Taiwan after crossing the median line. One PRC balloon was found during this period.

Taiwan had earlier Wednesday identified 10 Chinese warships and 11 Chinese aircraft flights.

According to the statement, six of the 13 sorties went over the median line and into the northern and southern ADIZ of Taiwan.

“Up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, we detected 13 PLA aircraft sorties and 10 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan,” Taiwan’s MND said in a post on X. Six of the thirteen sorties penetrated Taiwan’s northern and southern ADIZ after crossing the median line. We have kept an eye on the issue and taken appropriate action.

According to Taipei Times, a U.S. Department of State spokesperson harshly denounced China’s recent military drills close to Taiwan earlier in the day, calling them “brazen and irresponsible threats,” while restating the country’s long-standing support for Taipei, the capital city.

The spokesman said, “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan.”

According to the Taipei Times, the official stressed that the United States “will keep supporting Taiwan in response to China’s military, economic, informational, and diplomatic pressure” and that Washington’s long-standing commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years.

“Together with our international partners, we strongly advocate for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and oppose any efforts to alter the status quo through force or coercion,” said a spokeswoman.