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Taiwan on high alert after Beijing continues combat training and plans no-fly zone near island
- At least 35 PLA warplanes and eight ships still operating around the island after war games officially end, Taiwanese defence ministry says
- Beijing says it will close air space near the island for about half an hour on Sunday, which would affect commercial flights
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
The Taiwanese military said it remained on high alert as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continued combat training of its air and naval forces near Taiwan despite the end of high-profile war games simulating a precision strike on the island.
It also said it was closely monitoring a plan by mainland authorities to impose a no-fly zone just north of the island on Sunday.
Two days after the PLA ended three days of military drills targeting Taiwan, at least 35 PLA warplanes were detected operating around the island, the Taiwanese defence ministry said on Wednesday.
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Of those aircraft, which included Su-30, J-10 and J-16 fighters as well as a BZK-005 drone and a KJ-200 airborne early warning aircraft, 16 either crossed the median line separating the island and the mainland in the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan’s southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ), it said.
The ministry also said eight PLA warships were operating near the island between 6am on Tuesday and 6am on Wednesday.
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“[Taiwanese] armed forces have monitored the situation and tasked air patrol aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems with responding to these activities,” the ministry said in a statement.
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