TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 125 Chinese military aircraft and 34 naval and coast guard vessels around Taiwan as of 4:30 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 14).
Of the 125 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 90 entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. The vessels included 17 naval ships and 17 coast guard ships.
The PLA Eastern Theater Command announced the “Joint Sword-2024B” military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and areas north, south, and east of Taiwan. Eastern Theater Command Spokesperson Li Xihai (李熹海) said the drills would involve naval ships and military aircraft approaching Taiwan for joint exercises focused on conducting sea-air combat, blockading key ports, and assaulting maritime and ground targets.
Rear Admiral Yu Chian-chang (于健昌), an MND official in charge of law affairs, stressed that the Taiwan Strait is an international navigable waterway, per CNA. Yu said the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) military exercises infringe upon the international freedom of navigation and overflight and violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Yu added that the CCP's attempts to treat the Taiwan Strait and its surrounding areas as jurisdictional waters “violate international practice and international law.”