TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China declared a navigation warning in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday (April 18), while 12 Chinese military aircraft and four ships were detected around Taiwan from Monday to Tuesday (April 17-18).
The Shandong Maritime Safety Administration on Monday evening (April 17) issued a navigation warning stating that "major military activities" would be conducted in the Yellow Sea from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday (April 18). It stated that navigation in the designated area during this time period would be prohibited but did not specify what military activities would be carried out.
The coordinates of the points listed in the navigation warning are:
36°02.70′N/120°-16.87′E
36°-02.20′N/120°-17.00′E
36°-00.92′N/120°-24.55′E
36°-00.55′N/120°-27.70′E
36°-02.15′N/120°-27.70′E
36°-03.10′N/120°-25.55′E
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday morning announced that 12 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and four People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels were tracked around Taiwan from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday. Of the aircraft, four had entered the southwest sector of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
Aircraft tracked in the ADIZ included one Shaanxi Y-8 Reconnaissance (RECCE) tactical reconnaissance plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) plane, and two Guizhou WZ-7 Soaring Dragon RECCE unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The Y-8 aircraft was detected in the southwest corner of the ADIZ, while the UAVs were tracked to the northeast of the Dongsha Islands.
After President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) landmark meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, China retaliated by launching the three-day "Joint Sword" exercises around Taiwan from April 8-10. China also imposed a no-fly zone north of Taiwan to launch a Long March 4B rocket on Sunday (April 16).
