China Flies 38 Fighter Jets, 6 Navy Vessels Near Taiwan

Three military boats from Taiwan's Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit patrol the Matsu Islands on April 9, 2023. Yan Zhao/AFP via Getty Images

More than 38 fighter jets and other warplanes from China’s military flew near Taiwan in the latest chapter of military escalation from the regime since it staged war games around the island earlier in April.

The Taiwanese defense ministry announced the incident on Friday in its daily update of Chinese military activities from the previous 24 hours.

Six Chinese navy vessels were also seen around Taiwan from Thursday 6 a.m. to Friday 6.a.m., the ministry added, in what appears to be part of the Chinese regime’s effort to intimidate Taiwan.

The latest flight display comes after the Chinese regime on April 8 sent 42 warplanes and eight naval vessels toward Taiwan as part of three days of military exercises that simulated sealing off the island.

The move was an apparent response to a meeting between Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

The Chinese regime sees such meetings as encouraging Taiwanese voters and politicians who support formal independence for the island, a step the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) says would lead to war.

According to the Taiwanese defense ministry, on Friday, 19 of the CCP’s aircraft flew across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), an area that Taiwan monitors to provide it more time to respond to threats.

The median line serves as an unofficial barrier between Beijing and Taipei, although the Chinese regime does not recognize it. Since last year, CCP military aircraft have regularly crossed this line.

The 19 aircraft included five SU-30 and two J-16 aircraft. It also included a new type of Chinese combat drone that China’s state media says can carry a heavy weapons payload—the TB-001.

The drone flew around Taiwan, according to a map from the Taiwanese defense ministry. It first crossed the Bashi Channel, then up Taiwan’s east, and crossed back toward the coast of China.

The CCP’s state-run media claims the TB-001 is capable of high altitude, long-range missions, and can carry missiles under its wings.

There were no shots fired and while the Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s ADIZ, it did not breach Taiwan’s airspace.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the CCP in control of the mainland. But the CCP claims Taiwan as its territory, even though Taiwan has never been part of the CCP.

The CCP has vowed to claim sovereignty over Taiwan, even if by force. But Taiwan’s government rejects such claims.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.