A map provided by the MND in Taipei showing that the PLA initially deployed a record 52 military aircraft near Taiwan on 4 October amid increased tensions between Beijing and Taipei. Four additional PLA aircraft flew near the island later that day. (Taiwanese MND)
Amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait, China has been deploying a record number of military aircraft near Taiwan in a show of force that began on 1 October: the same day Beijing celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
In the latest developments Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on 4 October that 56 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including 38 J-16 and two Su-30 multirole fighters, two KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-capable aircraft, two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platforms, and 12 H-6-series strategic bombers, had entered the island's southwestern air-defence identification zone (ADIZ) that day: the largest number registered since the MND began making public PLA aircraft movements near Taiwan in mid-September 2020. According to the MND, 52 PLA aircraft were deployed during the daytime, while an additional four were deployed at night.
The previous day 16 PLA aircraft had entered the island's southwestern ADIZ, while on 2 October a total of 39 aircraft flew near Taiwan, including 20 aircraft during the day and 19 more at night-time. On 1 October the MND in Taipei registered 38 PLA aircraft entering Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ, including 25 during the day and 13 at night.
The MND noted that on each occasion the Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) reacted by scrambling fighters, issuing radio warnings, and mobilising air-defence assets until the PLA aircraft left the area.
The Chinese state-owned Global Times
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