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Taiwan sees spike in PLA military activity as island stages defence drills
PLA sorties around Taiwan hit a recent peak as Taipei rolls out a series of annual live-fire self-defence exercises
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Hayley Wongin Beijing
Taiwan has reported an increase in activity by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) near the self-ruled island over the past four days, as its own military has conducted a series of live-fire drills to test its amphibious defences.
The island’s defence ministry reported on Thursday that 29 aircraft and nine vessels were operating near the island in the 24 hours from 6am Wednesday.
A total of 18 aircraft crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and mainland China, patrolling on the northern and southwestern side of the island, it said.
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It was the fourth consecutive day that the ministry reported around 30 military aircraft near the island. Over the past three months, it has reported 12 days with more than 30 aircraft near the island.
The number took the four-day total to 131 sorties detected near the island.
Taiwan said the PLA conducted a “joint combat readiness patrol” on Sunday, which involved 30 aircraft, including J-16 advanced fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft, and drones.
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