On Thursday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported the detection of 68 Chinese warplanes and 10 naval vessels operating in the vicinity of its shores within a 24-hour period.

Earlier this week, Taiwan had issued a warning that China was intensifying “gray zone” activities in the vicinity of the island.

By 6 a.m. local time on Thursday, 40 of the identified aircraft, including fighter jets and a drone, had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering both the southwestern and southeastern airspace of the self-governed island, as stated by the ministry.

Taiwanese authorities promptly deployed combat air patrol aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems to address these actions, the ministry added, DW reported.

Previously, Taipei had indicated that some of these planes and warships were en route to an unspecified location in the Western Pacific for “joint sea and air training” alongside China’s Shandong aircraft carrier.

While Taiwan frequently reports such activities by Chinese forces, the number of planes involved in this instance was relatively high compared to previous occurrences.

Written by staff