Taiwan's defence ministry detects 21 Chinese military aircraft
Taipei's defence ministry said it had detected 21 Chinese military aircraft around the self-ruled island since 8:15 am (0015 GMT) on Saturday, a month before Taiwan's May 20 inauguration of incoming president Lai Ching-te.
«17 aircraft (of the 21) crossed the median line and its extension, entered our northern, central, and southwestern (air defence identification zone), and joined PLA vessels for joint combat patrol,» it said in a statement posted on X around 11:30 am.
Taiwan's armed forces «are monitoring the activities with our joint surveillance systems, and have dispatched appropriate assets to respond accordingly.»
The median line bisects the Taiwan Strait, a narrow 180-kilometre (110-mile) waterway separating the island from mainland China.
Beijing does not recognise the line as it claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory. It has also never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
China sends warplanes and naval vessels around Taiwan on a near daily basis — a move experts say is a form of «grey-zone harassment», stopping short of an outright act of war but enough to exhaust Taipei's armed forces.
According to the defence ministry, the 21 aerial objects detected Saturday included J-16 fighter jets and Y-8 medium-range transport aircraft, as well as drones.
The highest number around Taiwan so far this year was in March, when the ministry said 36 Chinese aircraft were detected in a single 24-hour period.
Last year's record was in September when Beijing's military sent 103
