Kuwait City: A total of 59 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels were detected in Taiwan's vicinity over the 24 hours through Tuesday morning, marking the highest single-day number this year, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense announced.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Ministry reported that more than two dozen of these aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, while others entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone between 6 a.m. Monday (2200 Sunday GMT) and 6 a.m. Tuesday. Alongside the aircraft, two balloons were also seen navigating over waters just north of Taiwan during this period.
In response to the detected activities, the Ministry scrambled combat air and sea patrols and deployed defense missile systems to track the Chinese military aircraft. Surveillance photos showed Chinese attack drones and various unmanned aerial vehicles, captured by a Taiwan Air Force F-16V fighter jet and Navy P-3C anti-submarine aircraft.
This relatively large-scale military presence was detected as Taiwan commenced a five-day "immediate response" military drill. The drill involves various aircraft and naval vessels and is designed to quickly counter any sudden Chinese military actions.
An air defense identification zone is a self-declared area where a country reserves the right to identify, locate, and control approaching foreign aircraft. It is not considered territorial airspace under international law. China and Taiwan separated after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing regards the island as its territory.