A single People’s Liberation Army Air Force Shenyang J-16 fighter jet flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, Taiwan news reported citing the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLAAF jet. An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country’s airspace where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves, according to Taiwan news.
It further reported that so far this month 38 Chinese military aircraft have been tracked in Taiwan’s identification zone, including 26 fighter jets, nine spotter planes, and three helicopters.
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.