Taiwan said that 103 Chinese warplanes flew near the island over a 24-hour period, marking a new record in recent times.
Record High Incursion
In a press release on Monday, the island’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) said that from the morning of 17 September to 18 September, it had detected a total of 103 Chinese military planes near its territorial sea, “which was a recent high and has caused serious consequences to the security of the Taiwan Strait and the region.”
In a separate release on the same day, the island reported that at least 40 aircraft had “crossed the central line of the strait and its extension lines and entered the southwest and southeast airspace.”
The sorties of warplanes were performing long-sea voyages and other training missions, and included the CCP’s J-10, J-16, H-6, Air Police-500, Yun-9, Yunyou-20, and the Rainbow 4 unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Serious Challenge”
Calling the move a “serious challenge,” the self-governing island said that its national army adopts the thinking of “everywhere is a battlefield” and trains continuously to improve its defensive combat capabilities.
40 of the detected aircraft (SU-30*10, J-10*12, J-11*4, J-16*10, Y-20 Aerial Refueling*2, KJ-500 AEW&C*2) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan’s southwest, southeast ADIZ.
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) September 18, 2023
The MoD further emphasised that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait was “related to the security, prosperity and well-being of the Indo-Pacific region,” and is “the common responsibility of all parties in the region.”
It thus warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “continued military harassment” can “easily lead to a sharp increase in tension and worsen regional security.”
“We call on the Beijing authorities to take responsibility and immediately stop such destructive unilateral actions,” it stated.
Past Incursions
Taiwan, which Beijing claims to be part of its own territory, has been complaining of increasing Chinese incursions into its airspace and waterways over the past few years.
Marking China’s National Day in October 2021, China flew around 93 military planes into the Taiwanese air defence identification zone. The sortie included H-6 bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and an anti-submarine aircraft.
In fact, the island has been expanding its defence budget every year and strengthening its multilateral relations to deter Chinese dominance over its sovereignty.