TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese Shaanxi Y-8 military transport plane entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) Friday (May 8), prompting a fighter jet from the island nation's Air Force to broadcast a warning.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese military plane had been training off Taiwan’s southwest coast around noon before it briefly encroached on Taiwan’s ADIZ, CNA reported.
As on previous occasions, the ministry said it is monitoring all aircraft and shipping movements in the vicinity of the country. After the Taiwanese jet intervened, the Y-8 left and the situation returned to normal.
Despite the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China has not stopped its military movements near Taiwanese waters and airspace. From Jan. 23 until Friday, a total of seven incidents involving Chinese military planes were reported.
One such incident on March 16 was notable for being the first time Chinese jets had been spotted at night, in what appeared to be a test of Taiwan’s defense capabilities.
In response to China's apparent attempts at intimidation, the U.S. has sent its own military aircraft close to Taiwan more than a dozen times recently, most often over the Bashi Channel, which separates the island nation from the Philippines.
