Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported 25 PRC planes and nine ships approaching the island

Over the past 24 hours, the Taiwanese armed forces have detected 25 aircraft and nine ships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). This was reported by the press service of Taiwan's defense ministry on January 8.

"Twenty-five PLA aircraft and nine PLA ships operating around Taiwan were detected today. 19 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern and eastern air defense (AD) zones," the ministry's press office informed on social network X (formerly Twitter).

It is specified that the Taiwanese authorities were monitoring the situation and were able to respond to the incident in a timely manner.

Earlier, on January 3, Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported the approach of 24 aircraft and four PRC ships to the island. 18 of them crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern air defense zones.

On December 20, 2024, it was reported that the U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of a military communications system and related equipment to Taipei's economic and cultural representative office in the United States at an estimated cost of $265 million. At the same time, current U.S. President Joe Biden authorized $571 million in military aid to Taiwan.

The conflict between China and Taiwan escalated after former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in August 2022. The Chinese side considers Taiwan its territory, so it views visits to the island by officials from other countries as support for Taiwan's independence.

Official relations between the PRC government and its island province broke down in 1949 when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek, who lost in a civil war with the Communist Party of China, moved to Taiwan. Contacts between the island and mainland China resumed in the late 1980s. The U.S. openly supports the Taiwanese authorities.