Taiwan detects 4 sorties of Chinese aircraft, 6 naval vessels around its territory

China's recent large-scale military exercises around Taiwan have triggered widespread disruption to regional air travel, prompting renewed concern over China's growing use of coercive tactics to pressure the island

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) detected four sorties of Chinese aircraft, six naval vessels and an official ship around its territorial waters as of 6 am (local time) on Saturday.

The MND said they responded according to the situation.

In a post on X, the MND said, "(U) 4 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's central ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."

Earlier on Friday, Taiwan detected six naval vessels, an official ship and two balloons around its territorial waters.

In a post on X, the MND wrote, "6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Today. 2 PRC balloons were detected during this timeframe. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded."

China's recent large-scale military exercises around Taiwan have triggered widespread disruption to regional air travel, prompting renewed concern over China's growing use of coercive tactics to pressure the island. The drills, conducted on December 30, disrupted 941 flights and affected more than 100,000 passengers, underscoring the broader security implications of China's actions, as reported by Focus Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration confirmed that the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic routes, as live-fire activities forced aircraft to reroute or cancel operations.

The disruption lasted nearly 10 hours, significantly impacting commercial aviation across the region. Experts argue that the scale and timing of the drills indicate deliberate planning rather than routine military training. Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR), described the operation as a "quasi-blockade" intended to simulate wartime conditions.