The Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the Eastern Theater Command of China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) is conducting live-fire drills in waters off Zhejiang and Fuzhou. While running the drills, several areas were designated as no-sail zones in the surrounding waters around China’s southern coast.
The Defense Ministry also reported the presence of 20 Chinese military aircraft at 8:50 a.m. 13 of which were detected to have crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, and southwestern airspace of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The planes included J-11 fighter jets, Y-8 transport aircraft, and drones.
The Defense Ministry said that the Chinese military aircraft were conducting joint combat readiness patrols with Chinese naval vessels and emphasized that the situation is being closely monitored. It said that air and naval patrols were deployed with land-based missile systems to respond to the activities.