Eleven Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between Sunday and Monday, some of which flew parallel to the median line on Taiwan’s side for an unprecedented distance.
In the 24 hours ending at 5am on Monday, 26 PLA aircraft and 13 naval vessels were detected around Taiwan, 11 of which crossed the median line or entered the nation’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defense said.
The 11 aircraft crossing the median line were two Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, six J-16 fighter jets, two J-10 fighter jets and one Shaanxi Y-9 communication countermeasure transport aircraft, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The J-16 fighters flew in three sorties across the median line, a map of their activity showed.
One flew southward parallel to the median line, starting near Taoyuan and ending west of Changhua County before turning north again, while another extended the line further south and into the southwest ADIZ, it showed.
The activity appears to extend a similar flight pattern from Aug. 29 and 30, when six J-10 fighters crossed and flew parallel to the median line over a shorter distance.
The ministry said the armed forces monitored the situation and tasked combat air patrol aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems to respond.
National Policy Foundation associate research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) told the Central News Agency that crossing the median line of the Strait has little practical military significance, as it is an arbitrary designation.
With this activity, Beijing likely intends to send a political warning in response to the US and Canadian navies sailing two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, he added.
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