On 5 August 2022 a record 68 Chinese military aircraft, plus 13 naval vessels entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), with many also crossing Taiwan’s median line.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced at 5 p.m. that 68 People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and 13 People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships encroached on Taiwan’s ADIZ. In addition, many of these aircraft and vessels crossed the median line and “seriously deteriorated the current situation in the Taiwan Strait,” read the MND statement.
There were 49 aircraft that were detected to the east of the median line, including Seven Chengdu J-10 fighter planes, six Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, 10 Shenyang J-16 fighter planes, 24 Sukhoi Su-30 jet fighters, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane, and Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane. Of these, the six J-11 fighter jets and the 24 Su-30 fighters directly crossed over the median line.
The MND has yet to release information on the types of aircraft that entered areas of the ADIZ not near the median line.
The median line serves as an unofficial border separating Taiwan and China and breaching it represents a more aggressive posture than Beijing’s frequent sorties into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone over the past two years.
Since 1955, there has been a tacit agreement between China and Taiwan not to cross the median line, also known as the Davis Line. However, on Sept. 21, 2020, Beijing unilaterally denied the existence of the median line in the Taiwan Strait.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday began large-scale military drills with live fire exercises in sic areas around Taiwan.
The drills that will last till August 7 were announced on Tuesday evening shortly after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taipei for a visit.
