Taipei reports detection of 32 Chinese warplanes around Taiwan

• The ministry also identified twenty of the aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait.
• Taiwan’s armed forces have used aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems to monitor the situation.
• The highest number of detected activities was 33 Chinese warplanes around Taiwan in late January and early February.

On Thursday, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported detecting 32 Chinese military aircraft around the island within 24 hours — the second-highest number recorded this year. Within the same timeframe leading up to 6:00 am Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday), the Ministry of National Defense also identified five naval ships operating around Taiwan. It further stated that twenty of the aircraft “crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.”

Taiwan’s armed forces have “monitored the situation and employed (patrol) aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.” In late January and early February, the ministry detected 33 Chinese warplanes around the island in two other 24-hour periods, marking the highest number recorded this year.

Following the January 13 presidential election won by current Vice President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing dislikes, those detections occurred. Lai and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will assume office on May 20. On Tuesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticized Hsiao for her visit to the Czech Republic, stating that it served “the purpose of Taiwan independence… and is unhelpful for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

Last month, Taiwan reported detecting 11 Chinese naval vessels around Taiwan, marking the highest number recorded this year, as a row between Taipei and Beijing over a fatal fishing boat incident continued. A Chinese speedboat carrying four people capsized on February 14 near Taiwan’s Kinmen islands while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard, resulting in two fatalities while the other two individuals survived. The incident took place amid escalating tensions between China and Taiwan, with the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary.

Beijing has accused Taiwanese authorities of “seeking to evade their responsibilities and hide the truth” about the incident, while a Taiwanese Coast Guard official has stated that the boat involved was zigzagging and “lost its balance” before capsizing. China announced that it would increase patrols around Kinmen following a series of deadly incidents, including the sinking of another boat in the area this month that resulted in the deaths of two crew members. Taiwan detected a record eight Chinese balloons on two consecutive days during the Lunar New Year holiday last month, with some flying directly over the island.

In recent years, Beijing has intensified military pressure and regularly deploys warplanes and naval vessels around the island on a near-daily basis, while also increasingly flying balloons over the island.

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