China – Taiwan News : Taiwan Flags Chinese Military Activity as Aircraft, Warships and Balloons Detected Near Island

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Friday said it had detected two sorties of Chinese military aircraft, six naval vessels and two Chinese balloons operating around the island as of 6 am local time.

In a post on X, the ministry said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels were monitored closely, adding that Taiwan’s armed forces responded appropriately to the situation.

“Two sorties of PLA aircraft and six PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. Two PRC balloons were also detected during this timeframe. The ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded,” the MND said.

The update followed a similar report a day earlier, when the ministry said it had detected six sorties of Chinese aircraft, eight naval vessels and one official ship around Taiwan. Of the six aircraft sorties, two crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).

“Six sorties of PLA aircraft, eight PLAN vessels and one official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 am (UTC+8) today. Two out of six sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded,” the ministry said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has accused China of engaging in “transnational suppression and political manipulation” following claims by a Chinese public security agency that Taiwanese nationals were behind a smuggling operation linked to a vessel accused of damaging undersea cables earlier this year.

According to the Taipei Times, the public security bureau in Weihai, in China’s Shandong province, alleged that two Taiwanese individuals orchestrated a multi-vessel operation involving the illegal transport of frozen goods into China. The claims were based on interviews with seven crew members of the Hong Tai 58, a Togo-registered vessel crewed by Chinese nationals.

The case has drawn scrutiny after a Taiwanese court in June sentenced the Chinese captain of the Hong Tai 58 to three years in prison, finding him guilty of deliberately damaging subsea communication cables off Taiwan in February.

The MAC has rejected the findings of the Chinese authorities, dismissing the allegations and reiterating concerns over Beijing’s attempts to politicise the incident.

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