The Chinese Communist Party’s military forces, including its naval forces, are officially referred to as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in China (CCP).
The observation comes after Taiwan claimed to have seen PLA forces approaching its territory on December 22 and again on December 21.
“Nine PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. The Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” their government remarked.
The largest sighting occurred on Wednesday, when Taiwan reported seeing 39 Chinese aircraft and three naval boats flying overhead. Taiwan’s military also responded right away in response to the incident.
Thirty of the aircraft were spotted, and of those, thirty crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line and entered Taiwan’s southwest and southeast Air Defense Identification Zones.
11 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/vGKq1fyjwA
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 24, 2022
The defense ministry in Taipei also provided the flight paths and aircraft identification for the Chinese military ships.
How many aircraft Taiwan dispatched to respond to these incidents was not made public. Additionally, it has threatened to defend itself against a hypothetical invasion by mainland China’s military.
However, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island in early August, China’s mainland has recently been notably more assertive in its military stance toward Taiwan, which it recognizes as a part of its own sovereign territory.
Taiwan has its own democratic government and enters into economic deals with a number of nations that otherwise would not choose to do business with the Communist-run Chinese mainland.
The Biden administration has maintained a strategic ambiguity on the island even though there is a real possibility that China may attempt to invade Taiwan militarily.
President Biden openly declared in September that the US would stop such an invasion and send U.S. soldiers to defend Taiwan. The White House clarified his remarks to reflect that this is not the US government’s official position.
30 of the detected aircraft (CH-4 UCAV, J-16*21, KJ-500*2, H-6*4, Y-20 Aerial Refueling, Z-9 ASW) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest and southeast ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) December 22, 2022
In November, after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden stated that he did not believe China was planning to invade Taiwan any time soon.
The One China policy, which claims Beijing has exclusive power to rule the island and denies Taiwan statehood, is formally recognized by the US and the majority of other nations.
In the background of Russia’s invasion of the eastern areas of Ukraine, which the Russian government has annexed and also claims to be Russian territory, China’s current stance toward Taiwan is set.
