A Chinese reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6 a.m. Wednesday, and 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The ministry added that 29 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) during the same period.

In a statement, the MND said it had detected 39 aircraft and three naval vessels belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) active in the vicinity of Taiwan.

Among these was a CASC Rainbow CH-4 UAV crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which functioned for many years as a de facto maritime border.

The aircraft that entered Taiwan’s southwestern ADIZ included 21 J-16 fighters, two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) planes, four Xian H-6 bombers, one Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft, and one Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter, information released by the MND showed.

According to the MND, the military dispatched combat air patrol aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems in response to the incursions.

Taiwan’s ADIZ — a self-declared area in which a country reserves the right to identify, locate and control approaching foreign aircraft — is not considered territorial airspace under international law.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel