TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported that 22 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels infringed on Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday (Aug. 14), with 10 warplanes crossing the median line.

At 6 p.m., the MND announced that as of 5 p.m., 22 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and six People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had infringed on Taiwan's ADIZ. Of these aircraft, 10 crossed the median line and one was detected flying in the far southwestern corner of the ADIZ to the northeast of the Dongsha Islands.

The 10 warplanes that crossed the median line were identified as four Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets, two Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, two Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, and two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets. The plane spotted in the southwest corner of the ADIZ was reported to be a Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft (KJ-500 AEW&C).

The MND said that it monitored the situation and responded by scrambling combat patrol aircraft, dispatching naval vessels, and deploying air defense missile systems.

At 10:59 p.m. on Aug. 2, just 15 minutes after Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said it would hold "important military exercises and training activities including live-fire drills" in six areas around Taiwan proper from Aug. 4 to Aug. 7. The drills included record single-day numbers of PLAAF aircraft entering the ADIZ, with many crossing the median line.

Although the drills were originally supposed to conclude on Aug. 7, they were extended and the PLA did not announce an end to the exercises until Aug. 10. Despite the supposed end to military exercises, PLA warplanes and warships have continued to cross the median line on a daily basis.

Since 1955, there has been a tacit agreement between China and Taiwan not to cross the median line, also known as the Davis Line. However, on Sept. 21, 2020, Beijing unilaterally denied the existence of the median line in the Taiwan Strait.

In the fall of 2020, PLAAF aircraft crossed the median line on a few occasions and entered Taiwan's ADIZ. Over the past two years, there have been other incidents in which PLA forces have crossed the median line, but it had still been a relatively rare occurrence until August 2022.