Taiwan has reported a record number of incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) for the second day in a row, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday night.
According to CNN, The self-governing island said a total of 39 Chinese military aircraft entered the ADIZ on Saturday, one more than the 38 planes it spotted on Friday. The 38 and 39 planes respectively are the highest number of incursions Taiwan has reported in a day since it began publicly reporting such activities last year.
The incursions on Saturday came in two batches — 20 planes during daytime hours and 19 planes at night, the ministry said in two statements. They were made by 26 J-16 fighter jets, 10 Su-30 fighter jets, two Y-8 anti-submarine warning aircraft, and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane, the Defense Ministry said.
TheSun reported that the warplanes included 26 J-16 fighter jets, 10 Su-30 fighter jets, two Y-8 anti-submarine warning aircraft, and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane.
Taiwan has been repeatedly reporting missions conducted by China’s air force that enters the democratically-governed island’s air defense zone near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. But the incursions in the past two days have beaten the previous record for the most amount of flights – when 28 Chinese military planes flew into the airspace in June.
In response to the flights yesterday, the Taiwanese air force scrambled its jets, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems. Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters yesterday: “China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace.”
The defense ministry said 20 aircraft arrived during the day on Saturday – while 19 more appeared in the evening. It comes as China this weekend celebrated the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. For more than seven decades Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately – but Beijing still views Taiwan as part of its territory.
