On the 20th, marking the 7th anniversary of the inauguration of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who has an independent stance, China deployed a large number of military aircraft and warships around Taiwan to conduct a show of force.
On the 21st, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense announced that from 6 a.m. the previous day to 6 a.m. on the 21st, 24 military aircraft and 5 warships belonging to the Chinese People's Liberation Army were detected in the airspace and waters surrounding Taiwan.
Among the 24 military aircraft, 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Regarding these 12 People's Liberation Army aircraft by type, there was 1 JH-7 fighter-bomber, 2 SU-30 fighters, 1 TB-001 unmanned aerial vehicle (drone), 4 J-11 fighters, 2 J-10 fighters, 1 BZK-005 unmanned aerial vehicle, and 1 Z-9 anti-submarine helicopter.
In particular, the BZK-005 unmanned aerial vehicle crossed the southern part of the Taiwan Strait median line, passed through the southwestern airspace of Taiwan, reached the eastern airspace, and then returned to the Chinese coast.
The BZK-005 is known to have a maximum takeoff weight of 1250 kg, an endurance time of 40 hours, and can perform reconnaissance missions at an altitude of 8,000 meters at speeds of 150 to 180 km/h.
On the final day of the "Taiwan Encirclement" exercise on the 10th of last month, a Chinese coast guard vessel approached the Taiwan Strait in front of Pingtan County, Fujian Province, the area closest to Taiwan from China. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]
Previously, China conducted shows of force by entering and then retreating from Taiwan's ADIZ or the Taiwan Strait median line, but recently, it has been strengthening military pressure by deploying drones to conduct circuit flights around the Taiwan Strait.
The Chinese drone BZK-005 also crossed the northern part of the median line of the strait between 6 a.m. on the 2nd and 6 a.m. on the 3rd, then flew clockwise through the northeastern, eastern, and southern airspaces of Taiwan before passing through the southwestern airspace and returning to China.
Between the 27th and 28th of last month, the Chinese military's TB-001 drone also flew in a pattern nearly circling Taiwan.
The Taiwan Strait median line is an unofficial boundary declared in 1955 by U.S. Air Force General Benjamin Davis to prevent military clashes between China and Taiwan, following the mutual defense treaty between the United States and Taiwan in December 1954.
Taiwan's military immediately scrambled fighter jets and activated air defense missile systems to track the aircraft.
Additionally, Taiwan dispatched its own vessels to the relevant waters to monitor the movements of the People's Liberation Army warships.
Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized in a statement released on the 7th anniversary of her inauguration that "Peace is the only option between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, and maintaining the status quo as the greatest common denominator of both sides is the key to securing peace."
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