Taiwan’s military responded to a Chinese incursion early on Wednesday after detecting 19 military aircraft crossing the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) amid continued pressure by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against the self-governing island.
The country’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that a total of 25 Chinese warplanes and three naval vessels were tracked by 6 a.m. local time on March 1, noting that 19 of those planes crossed Taiwan’s ADIZ, while the warships and remaining aircraft continued to operate around the Taiwan Strait.
“R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked [combat air patrol] aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond [sic] these activities,” the ministry stated.
The CCP claims Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be united with mainland China and vows to use military force to achieve this goal. Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949 and has never been controlled by the CCP.
The CCP regularly stages such incursions on a near-daily basis, part of what is termed “gray zone” tactics, aimed at intimidation and wearing down Taiwan’s equipment, exhausting its personnel, and degrading public morale. This also includes cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns, along with a relentless drive to deprive Taiwan of diplomatic allies.
Relations between Beijing and Washington, Taiwan’s primary ally and source of defensive weaponry, have spiraled over China’s actions toward the island, trade, technology, and the South China Sea.
In memos and testimony, top U.S. officials have called for heightened preparations, saying the CCP sees a shrinking window for action and may move on Taiwan within a few years.
The CCP claims it prefers peaceful unification between the sides, but the Taiwanese public overwhelmingly favors the current state of de-facto independence.
