Taiwan detects 21 Chinese military aircraft in its vicinity

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday the detection of 21 Chinese military aircraft in the vicinity of the island since 8:15 am local time (00:15 UTC), a month before the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te.

The ministry said in a statement that "17 aircraft (out of 21) crossed the median line," which represents unofficial boundaries between China and Taiwan in the middle of the Taiwan Strait, not recognized by Beijing.

The statement continued that the Taiwanese armed forces "are monitoring these activities thanks to surveillance systems and have deployed appropriate means to respond accordingly."

This escalation of Chinese violations comes within the context of a strategy experts call the "gray zone," which relies on intimidation tactics that do not reach the level of warfare.

These operations have increased since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, who considers Taiwan "essentially independent" as a matter of fact, which constitutes a red line for Beijing.

AFP