Taiwanese Defense Ministry says it detected 18 Chinese aircraft

"18 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN [People's Liberation Army Navy] vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) [14:00 GMT] today," the ministry said on Twitter.

Ten of the detected aircraft crossed the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait, including a CH-4 UCAV drone, two Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, two Chengdu J-10 fighters, four Shenyang J-16s and a Su-30 fighter.

The Taiwanese ministry added that it tasked its aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems to "respond [to] these activities."

The situation around Taiwan escalated after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August 2022. Beijing condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. Despite this fact, several countries, including France, the US, Japan and others, have since sent their delegations to the island, further increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contact of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.

(With UNI inputs)