TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) prepared to leave Belize for a meeting with United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Taiwan said Tuesday (April 4) it had detected 20 Chinese military aircraft and three ships in its surrounding area during the previous 24 hours.

Of the 20 aircraft, one Harbin BZK-005 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, while seven Shenyang J-16 fighter jets and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine airplane entered the southwest part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) between 6 a.m. Monday (April 3) and the same time Tuesday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.

The military tasked aircraft in Combat Air Patrols (CAP) and naval vessels, and deployed land-based air defense missile systems to monitor the activities of Chinese military ships and aircraft.

Since Sept. 20, the MND has been reporting incursions by China’s military aircraft on an almost daily basis, with the numbers of planes entering Taiwan’s ADIZ usually rising around key moments, including elections or meetings between Taiwanese leaders and high-profile foreign officials.