In a statement posted on social network Twitter, the ministry said 13 of the 17 military planes crossed the demarcation line in southwestern Taiwan, which separates the island from mainland China.
Taiwan’s armed forces were monitoring the situation and responded by deploying aircraft and boats and activating land-based missile systems, the ministry said.
As of Friday, Taiwan had detected 38 aircraft and six Chinese warships around the island, the highest number since the beginning of the month.
The Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that Taiwan will simulate responses to a “possible Chinese invasion” during an annual military exercise known as Han Guang, amid rising tensions with Beijing.
Han Guang will be divided into two phases: computerized war games, to be held between May 15 and 19, and maneuvers using live fire, scheduled between July 24 and 28, the official quoted General Lin Wenhuang as saying. Company, CNA.
The computerized games will be based on a US-designed platform that allows simulation of civil and military operations.
“The simulations will be conducted over five days to test the military’s ability to coordinate and execute a response to a Chinese invasion,” Lin said.
The live-fire drills will focus on testing Taiwan’s military’s ability to “protect its strength in the event of a large-scale invasion” and “carry out maritime interceptions” to avoid a Chinese blockade of the island.
The Han Guang exercises have been held annually since 1984 to test Taiwan’s combat readiness against a possible Chinese invasion.
China held four days of military exercises around Taiwan earlier this month in response to a meeting in California between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
These maneuvers involved the aircraft carrier Shandong and included a practical blockade of the island.
At the end of World War II, Taiwan became part of the Republic of China under the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek. After its defeat against the Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Nationalist government took refuge on the island.
Beijing considers the island part of its territory and threatens reunification by force if Taipei formally declares independence. In recent years, China has sent warplanes and warships near the border on an almost daily basis.
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