9 Chinese military planes violate Taiwan's air defence zone

Nine Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday afternoon, marking the 17th intrusion this month.

Five People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, two Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare planes, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane, and one Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcast radio warnings, and deployed air defence missile systems to track the PLAAF planes., Taiwan News reported.

Air defence identification zones are early warning systems that help countries detect incursions into their airspace.

Any aircraft entering such an area is supposed to report its route and purpose to the "host" nation, though the zones are classified as international airspace and pilots are not legally bound to make such a notification.

Last week, Taiwan reported the biggest incursion by Chinese warplanes as over two dozen Chinese aircraft entered the Taiwanese air defence zone.

Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its gray-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.

Over the past few months, Taiwan has reported incursion by Chinese warplanes into ADIZ almost daily. On March 26, Taiwan reported the incursion of 20 Chinese warplanes.

Last month, Taiwanese premier Su Tseng-chang termed the incursion by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADZ) as "unnecessary" and "thoughtless". Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.

China has threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war.

Wu Qian, spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defence, on January 28 "warned" the people wanting "Taiwan independence" and had said "those who play with fire will set themselves on fire, and seeking 'Taiwan independence' means nothing but war".

( With inputs from ANI )