On Friday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported that a total of 31 Chinese military aircraft and vessels were monitored operating around the Taiwan Strait.
Of the 24 Chinese military aircraft and seven military vessels identified, 18 aircraft were detected to have crossed the median line and its extension into Taiwan's surrounding northern, southwestern, and eastern airspace. The ministry says the intruding aircraft were coordinating with naval activities while conducting joint combat readiness patrols.
Monitoring Chinese military activity from 6 a.m. on Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, the ministry provided a timeline of the military activities. On Thursday, between 7:06 a.m. and 4:24 p.m., 13 combat aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles, were monitored. Of these, 9 aircraft crossed the median line. Separately, between 7:33 a.m. and 1:11 p.m. Thursday, 9 combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles were observed in the southwestern airspace of Taiwan and east of the Taiwan Strait median line extension. Also, between 8:23 a.m. and 11:23 a.m. Thursday, 2 auxiliary combat aircraft were detected in the northern airspace of Taiwan.
The ministry assures the public that it is closely monitoring the situation. It says that air and naval patrols were deployed and land-based missile systems were ready to respond to the activities.