Dozens of Chinese military vessels and aircraft detected near Taiwan

Taiwan has reported a significant increase in Chinese military activity near its territory, with 57 aircraft and 10 vessels from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) spotted in the vicinity of the island.

According to Caliber.Az, this information was released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence on the social media platform X.

As of the morning of August 8, Taiwan’s military observed a total of 57 aircraft, six PLA Navy ships, and four vessels from the Chinese Coast Guard operating in areas around the island.

The ministry stated that 38 of the detected aircraft—including fighter jets, bombers, reconnaissance and support planes, as well as drones—crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer that separates mainland China from Taiwan. These aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zones in the north, centre, southwest, and east, effectively encircling the island from multiple directions.

Despite the scale of the activity, the Taiwanese Defence Ministry emphasised that there were no recorded violations of the island’s sovereign airspace or its contiguous maritime zones.

Taiwan has maintained its own administration since 1949, following the retreat of Kuomintang forces under Chiang Kai-shek after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing continues to view Taiwan as an inseparable part of the People’s Republic of China.