Taipei [Taiwan]: Taiwan's military has been placed on high alert after China intensified its military presence around the island, sparking concerns of a potential escalation. According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence, six Chinese naval vessels and two military aircraft were detected around Taiwan within 24 hours, Taiwan News reported.
According to the MND, the two People's Liberation Army (PLA) helicopters crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the nation's central and eastern air defence identification zone (ADIZ),
In response to this provocation, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity, as per Taiwan News. "2 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," Taiwan MND said on X.
This latest incident is part of a series of escalating military manoeuvres by China around Taiwan, sparking concerns about potential invasion or encirclement. Last week, while addressing a press event on September 19, Taiwan's Defence Minister Wellington Koo cautioned against the possibility of China launching an attack on Taiwan under the guise of military exercises, noting that Beijing has increasingly diversified its military manoeuvres, making it more difficult to predict China's assaults, Focus Taiwan reported.
China has been employing a combination of "conventional" military practices, such as joint air and sea training exercises and drills, with "unconventional" means, such as "grey zone" incursions into air and waters around Taiwan, Koo said. This has become the norm and will persist regardless of the results of the United States presidential election in November, he said. In addition, these military actions have increased in scale, making it more difficult to predict when military exercises could suddenly turn into an attack on Taiwan, Koo noted.
Notably, so far this month, Taiwan has tracked 323 Chinese military aircraft and 192 ships. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan. Grey zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force."
Meanwhile, earlier today, China announced that it has test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force at 00:55 GMT on Wednesday and "fell into expected sea areas," the Chinese Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
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