China flies 16 jets near Taiwan

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday, May 24, that it had detected four Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels operating around the island in the previous 24 hours. The ministry said three of the four aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwestern and southeastern air defense identification zone. Taiwan said it monitored the activity and deployed aircraft, naval ships and coastal missile systems in response. The 16-sortie figure cited in some reports referred to the previous reporting window, from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, rather than Sunday’s latest tally. Taiwan’s defense ministry said in that earlier update that it tracked 16 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels, and that 13 of the 16 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zone. (taiwannews.com.tw) ### Which number is current, and why are there two different counts? Sunday’s official count was four aircraft and six naval vessels. The 16-aircraft figure appeared in reports published around the same time because Taiwan issues daily snapshots based on a 24-hour window ending at 6 a.m. local time, so separate stories can reflect different reporting periods. (taiwannews.com.tw) Taiwan’s air force command has published similar daily notices throughout May. On May 20, for example, it reported 24 Chinese military aircraft, six naval vessels and three official ships around Taiwan, with 13 aircraft crossing the median line. On May 17, it reported five aircraft, seven naval vessels and one official ship. ### What did Taiwan say the Chinese aircraft did? (taiwannews.com.tw) Taiwan’s defense ministry said three of Sunday’s four aircraft crossed the median line and entered the southwestern and southeastern sectors of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. In the prior day’s update, 13 of 16 aircraft crossed the median line and entered multiple sectors of the zone, according to the ministry’s published data. (air.mnd.gov.tw) The median line is an unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait that Beijing does not recognize. Taiwan has continued to publish whether Chinese aircraft cross it as part of its daily military-activity disclosures. ### How unusual is this pace of activity? Taiwan’s own reporting shows the activity is frequent, but the numbers vary from day to day. The ministry’s English-language updates recorded no PLA aircraft for the May 16 reporting window, five aircraft for May 17, 24 aircraft for May 20 and four aircraft for May 24. (taiwannews.com.tw) Taiwan News, citing ministry data, said that by May 23 the ministry had tracked Chinese military aircraft 186 times and ships 174 times during the month. (taiwannews.com.tw) That outlet also said China has increased what it described as “gray zone tactics” around Taiwan since September 2020 by incrementally increasing aircraft and naval operations. ### What has Taiwan done in response? (air.mnd.gov.tw) Taiwan’s defense ministry said it responded to the latest activity by deploying combat air patrol aircraft, navy ships and coastal-based missile systems. The ministry has used the same formulation in multiple daily updates this year, including reports on March 25, May 17 and May 24. On May 19, the ministry also released surveillance images of a Chinese fighter jet and two naval vessels involved in what it described as a joint air-sea exercise near Taiwan. (taiwannews.com.tw) Taipei Times, citing a ministry release, said the People’s Liberation Army had begun a “joint combat readiness patrol” near Taiwan that day with 22 aircraft, including J-10 and J-16 fighters and a KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft. (air.mnd.gov.tw) ### Where can readers track the next update? Taiwan’s air force command posts daily “PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan” bulletins on its English-language site, with each update covering the preceding 24 hours ending at 6 a.m. local time. The next official count would appear in that same series after the next reporting window closes. (air.mnd.gov.tw) (taipeitimes.com)