China warplane enters Taiwan air defence zone for 9th day in row

A Chinese military aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday.

One People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defence missile systems to track the PLAAF plane, Taiwan News reported.

Saturday's incursion marks the ninth day in a row China's planes have flown into Taiwan's identification zone. Beijing has sent a mix of spotter planes, fighter jets, and bombers into the zone every day this month except for September 2.

Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its grey-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.

On June 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete reunification with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to smash any attempts at formal independence for the island.

(ANI)

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