Taipei: The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has tracked 71 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan, media reports said on Monday.
The Chinese aircraft and vessels were tracked between 6 a.m. on Sunday (Dec. 25) to 6 a.m. on Monday (Dec. 26).
Of the 71 Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 47 were tracked in Taiwans air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. Twelve Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, six Sukhoi Su-30 jet fighters, 10 Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, and one CASC CH-4 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, reports Taiwan News.
Another 18 Shenyang J-16 fighter jets crossed the median line or entered the southwest corner of Taiwans ADIZ. Meanwhile, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane, one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and one Guizhou WZ-7 reconnaissance drone were also monitored in the southwest sector of the ADIZ, the news portal reported.
Taiwan, as a response, sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels.
