Taipei [Taiwan]: Taiwan on Saturday tracked 71 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval ships by 4 pm, reported Taiwan News.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that it included 45 planes which either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) from the southwest. Types of Chinese planes monitored by the MND Saturday included the J-10, J-11, and J-16 fighter jets, the Xi’an Y-20 transport plane, the H-6K strategic bomber, and the KJ-500 early warning aircraft, Channel News Asia reported.
This comes after Beijing announced three days of military exercises around Taiwan on Friday, the day after President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei from Los Angeles, where she met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The ministry also issued a photo taken from the Cheng Kung-class Chang Chien missile frigate showing Navy officers monitoring the movements of China’s Ma’anshan frigate, reported Taiwan News.
The military said it tasked aircraft in Combat Air Patrols (CAP) and naval vessels, and deployed land-based air defence missile systems to monitor the activities of the Chinese military ships and aircraft.
The MND while accusing China of causing regional insecurity and instability said that the armed forces would increase their vigilance and readiness, but would stay away from provocations and raising tension, reported Taiwan News.
Taiwan lodged a protest against Chinese military drills around Taiwan, saying that the country would not yield to threats.
