4 sorties of aircraft, 6 naval vessels, 1 ship, 2 balloons: China increases military presence around Taiwan — what it means

Taiwan on Saturday detected four sorties of Chinese aircraft, sic naval vessels and an official ship around its territorial waters.

In a social media post on, Taiwan's ministry of national defence said that 1 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's air defence identification zone.


"(U) 4 sorties of PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 out of 4 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's central ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded," it said.

Earlier on Friday, Taiwan had detected six naval vessels, an official ship and two balloons around its territorial waters.

In a post on X, the MND wrote, "6 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) Today. 2 PRC balloons were detected during this timeframe. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded."

This comes as US took note of China's military exercise around Taiwan, claiming that it "increases tensions unnecessarily."

In a press statement, the department of state urged Beijing to exercise restraint and cease its military pressure against Taiwan.

"China's military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan and others in the region increase tensions unnecessarily. We urge Beijing to exercise restraint, cease its military pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue," department of state said.

This comes after China's recent live-fire military exercise heightened strains between Taiwan and Beijing.

The two-day exercise, which concluded on December 31, involved extensive naval and air deployments and was widely seen as a show of force aimed at pressuring the self-governed island.

According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration confirmed that the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic routes, as live-fire activities forced aircraft to reroute or cancel operations.

The drills followed US administration’s announcement of a proposed arms sales package to Taiwan valued at more than $11 billion, which, if approved by Congress, would represent the largest such assistance to the island.

The PLA conducted military exercises dubbed "Justice Mission-2025" across five maritime areas and airspace surrounding Taiwan, describing them as a "stern warning" to so-called "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, reported Focus Taiwan.

Taiwan's ministry of national defence reported that the PLA launched 27 rockets on the second day of the drills, with 10 landing in waters within Taiwan's 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone, marking the closest Chinese live-fire activity ever recorded near Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines all voiced serious concern over the drills. In a statement, the European External Action Service stressed that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are vital to global security and prosperity, warning against any unilateral attempt to alter the status quo through coercion or military means.