China sent a total of 29 warplanes into Taiwan's self-declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, according to the island's Defense Ministry.
The Defense Ministry stated that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force planes were a mix of fighter jets, early warning and control aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, anti-submarine aircraft, electronic intelligence aircraft, and aerial refueling aircraft.
Media outlets reported that it was the third-highest daily number of Chinese jets entering Taiwan's ADIZ since the start of this year and comes less than a month after China sent 30 warplanes on a similar mission.
In response, the Taiwanese military scrambled combat aircraft to warn the Chinese jets away, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities, according to the Defense Ministry.
The US Federal Aviation Administration defines the ADIZ as "a designated area of airspace over land or water within which a country requires the immediate and positive identification, location and air traffic control of aircraft in the interest of the country's national security."
In recent remarks, Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe affirmed that Taiwan is part of China’s territory and warned the US that Beijing would “resolutely thwart” any foreign interference in “separatist attempts” by the island.
The statement came during a joint press conference with US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin following a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum held in Singapore, in the first face-to-face meeting between the two superpowers since January 2021.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will take effective measures to resolutely thwart any form of external interference and ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist attempts, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Wei said, according to Chinese state-run television CCTV.
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