China has again sent several fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone. Among the 18 Chinese aircraft were 12 J-16 and J-11 fighter jets and two H-6 bombers, the Ministry of Defense in Taipei said today. It was the second most serious incident of its kind since the beginning of the year. In January, 39 Chinese aircraft had entered Taiwan’s air defense zone, according to Taipei.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it had in turn dispatched aircraft today to send out warnings. In addition, it said, missile defenses had been activated. Taiwan had only begun publishing its data on violations of its own air defense zone in September 2020. The zone is much larger than the island’s actual airspace, partly overlapping with China’s.
Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province to be brought under its own control by force if necessary. Taiwan recorded a total of 969 intrusive Chinese fighters last year. The previous peak was in October, when a total of 149 fighter jets entered Taiwan’s air defense zone in the four days surrounding China’s National Day holiday. This year, violations by more than 370 Chinese aircraft have already been recorded.
