Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence reported the detection of six Chinese naval vessels and two military aircraft in the vicinity of Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Monday and 6 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Taiwan News.
The Ministry stated that Taiwan promptly responded by deploying its own aircraft, naval ships, and air defense missile systems to monitor the activities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The Ministry of National Defence emphasized that while two PLA aircraft and six PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) vessels were detected around Taiwan until 6 a.m. local time, none of the PLA aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait during this period.
This development follows a pattern observed throughout the month, with Taiwan tracking Chinese military aircraft 205 times and naval vessels 137 times so far in April.
Since September 2020, China has increasingly employed gray zone tactics, characterized by incremental escalations of military presence around Taiwan, as reported by Taiwan News. Gray zone tactics involve efforts to achieve security objectives without resorting to direct and substantial use of force.
The median line of the Taiwan Strait, which had served as an informal border, has witnessed Chinese military activities, including aircraft, warships, and drones crossing into Taiwanese airspace.
The escalation in Chinese military activities around Taiwan has been linked to geopolitical events, such as the visit of former United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August 2022, noted as the highest-level US visit to Taiwan in nearly three decades.
This visit seemingly prompted a more assertive stance from the Chinese military in the Taiwan Strait region.
Responding to a sustained espionage campaign by China, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has proposed legislative measures to address espionage-related concerns, as reported by Taipei Times.
Specifically, DPP legislators have introduced an amendment aimed at stripping benefits from military retirees convicted of espionage-related offenses, even if they have received suspended sentences.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen highlighted China’s use of retired military officers to establish connections with active-duty personnel in Taiwan, alleging their involvement in espionage activities.
This move aims to counter Chinese efforts to infiltrate Taiwan’s military leadership, both active and retired, as part of a broader strategy to establish a spy network within Taiwan.
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