Taipei:
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said it detected 10 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan in the past 24 hours until 6 a.m. Saturday (local time), Taiwan News reported.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense did not reveal whether the Chinese military aircraft entered China's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). After the Chinese action, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval vessels and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor Chinese activities.
In a post shared on #ROCArmedForces have been monitoring the situation and deploying appropriate forces to respond. .”
Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by gradually increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan. It is striking that the Chinese Communist Party considers Taiwan its territory, even though it has never controlled it.
According to a Taiwan News report, gray zone tactics are “an effort or set of efforts that goes beyond stable deterrence and assurance and seeks to achieve one's security objectives without resorting to direct and extensive use of force.”
It is not the first time that China has taken such a step. On Friday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said eight Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships were detected operating around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Thursday (local time) and 6 a.m. Friday (local time). News reported.
According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, two of eight People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait in the northeastern sector of the country's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). In addition, one PLA aircraft entered the southwestern corner of the ADIZ.
In response to the Chinese move, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval vessels and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the Chinese PLA's activities, Taiwan News reported.
“8 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels were detected around Taiwan until 6am (UTC+8) today. Three of the aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces contained the situation the gaps and deployed the appropriate resources to respond,” Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense wrote on X.
On January 30, Taiwan's envoy to Britain, Yao Chin-hsiang, urged the United Kingdom and other Western allies to help deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.
Yao Chin-hsiang made these comments during a Council on Geostrategy public panel event on January 30. He said Britain must continue to express concern for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, continue to oppose unilateral changes to the status quo and take active action to take concrete steps. measures to defend freedom of navigation in the region, Taiwan News reported citing Central News Agency (CNA).
He stressed that if the Taiwan Strait faces a Chinese military blockade, it would have a catastrophic effect on global economic and trade activities and cause significant damage to China. The Taiwanese envoy said it was essential that Britain and its allies make it clear to China that it recognizes this reality. Yao Chin-hsiang said Taiwan wants to be a force for good in the world and has a responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Yao Chin-hsiang stated that Taiwan's newly-elected President Lai Ching-te said that in addition to strengthening national defense, he will try to engage in cross-border dialogue based on dignity and equality , according to Taiwan News. He spoke about the unprecedented level of Chinese interference in Taiwan's elections.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)