Taiwan says 29 more Chinese aircraft detected after one-day surge

This handout photo from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense released on April 9, 2023 shows Taiwanese soldiers manning anti-aircraft artillery near Taipei. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

TAIPEI — Taiwan’s defense ministry said Thursday that 29 more Chinese fighter jets and drones were detected around the democratic island, following a 24-hour period that saw a surge in military movement by Beijing’s forces.

China, which claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, sends warplanes, drones and naval vessels around the island nearly every day.

The latest ramp-up in military movement came after Japanese media reported that a Japanese warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait for the first time to assert its freedom of navigation.

READ: Japan warship asserts right to sail through Taiwan Strait – media

On Thursday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said 43 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels were detected in a 24-hour period ending at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Wednesday). It also released an illustration that showed the aircraft surrounding the island except for the northeastern coast.

By afternoon, the ministry reported an additional 29 aircraft — including fighter jets and drones — had been detected since 8 am.

“Out of those, 21 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered our northern, central and southwestern ADIZ in conducting ‘joint combat readiness patrol’ along with other PLAN vessels,” it said.

READ: 66 Chinese aircraft around Taiwan in 2024 single-day record – Taipei

“The military has monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”

The Japanese warship’s passage through the Taiwan Strait — which separates Taiwan from China — took place on Wednesday, according to media reports.

Tokyo declined to comment on the reports.

Taipei is accustomed to Chinese military movements around it, with experts calling the ramp-up in planes, boats and drones a form of “grey-zone harassment” that puts Taiwan’s armed forces on constant alert.

These tactics — which fall short of a direct act of war — serve to exhaust Taiwanese troops, military experts say.

The record this year came on July 11 when Taipei said that 66 Chinese military aircraft were detected in a 24-hour window.

China has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and has ramped up military pressures on the island in recent years.