The Defense Ministry announced on Friday the detection of 26 People's Liberation Army (PLA) military planes, 10 PLA Navy vessels, and a Chinese balloon in the areas around Taiwan.
The ministry’s surveillance period, which began at 6 a.m. Thursday and ended at 6 a.m. Friday, noted that the aircraft included a Shaanxi Y-9 military transport plane, a Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone, and several Sukhoi SU-30 and Chengdu J-10 fighter jets. 15 of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
A Chinese balloon was also detected at 11:52 a.m. Thursday after it crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait 101 nautical miles southwest of Keelung, flying at an approximate altitude of 21,000 feet. According to the ministry, the balloon headed east and “disappeared” at 12:55 p.m.
The ministry said that it has monitored the situation and deployed air and naval patrols as well as land-based missile systems to respond to the activities appropriately.