Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) detected a heightened in Chinese military activity, reporting 15 Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and four official ships operating near the island from both Tuesday to Wednesday morning (December 17-18, 2024).
The MND noted that two of the 15 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, entering Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
Similarly a report from the previous day when Taiwan also observed 10 Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels near its territory.
On Tuesday, the MND said in a post on X: “10 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly.”
The incident took place as China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the existence of the MND following the arrival of US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks as part of Taiwan’s unit purchase from the said country.