On Sunday, 28 military aircraft were spotted near Taiwan’s coast, most of them crossing the median line of the strait, the island’s authorities said.
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According to the Taiwan Defense Ministry, 20 aircraft were spotted on Sunday crossing the median line separating Taiwan from mainland China and entering the island’s air defense zone in the southeast and southwest.
The ministry also said Beijing was conducting “long-range exercises and training,” adding that it was monitoring the situation with patrol aircraft and ships.
Beijing views the autonomous island as part of its territory that it could one day seize by force.
Relations between Beijing and Taipei deteriorated in 2016 with the arrival of Tsai Ing-wen as president, with Beijing increasing political and military pressure on the archipelago in recent years.
Military aircraft regularly enter Taiwan’s air defense zone (Adiz).
The Adiz, not to be confused with a country’s airspace, covers a much larger area in which any foreign aircraft is supposed to report to local aviation authorities. The Adiz of Taiwan partially overlaps with the Adiz of China and even covers part of the continent.
Last week, Taipei reported a growing number of incursions by Chinese planes and ships.
Beijing had said its troops were on “high alert” after two US and Canadian ships transited the Taiwan Strait earlier this month.
Taipei said it detected 68 Chinese military aircraft and 10 ships between Wednesday and Thursday morning.
According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, these aircraft were en route to the Western Pacific to join the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong as part of training.
The Shandong is one of two operational aircraft carriers in the Chinese fleet. It was discovered Monday about 60 nautical miles (111 kilometers) southeast of the island’s southernmost point.
Beijing has not yet commented on these maneuvers.
In April, Beijing conducted military exercises simulating an encirclement of the island following a meeting between Taiwanese President and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
Taiwan then detected 71 fighter jets in 24 hours, a record deployment achieved in December 2022.