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Taiwan tracks 45 military aircraft, 10 naval ships from China around country

16 jets crossed median line of Taiwan Strait

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A Sukhoi Su-30.

A Sukhoi Su-30. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 45 Chinese military aircraft and 10 vessels around the country by 5 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 9).

Since Beijing announced days of live-fire missile tests following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Aug. 2-3 visit to Taiwan, China also intensified its sending of People's Liberation Army Air Force planes, with the total reaching a single-day record of 68 on Aug. 5.

While previously, most of the Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from the southwest, since last week, more of them have crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. Of the 45 Chinese aircraft reported Tuesday, 16 passed across the median line, CNA reported.

The latter group consisted of eight Sukhoi Su-30 jets, four Shenyang J-16 and four Shenyang J-11 fighter jets. Taiwan’s military warned the Chinese aircraft to leave the area, while it also deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities of the planes. The military emphasized its responsibility to protect the median line, the country’s territorial waters, and its sovereignty.