China has recently increased its military incursions into Taiwan. In less than a month, China sent a record 20 military aircraft sorties to intrude into Taiwan’s southwestern airspace on a single day on March 26. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported on Monday (April 5) that 10 Chinese military aircraft intruded into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone that day, with one of the aircraft flying over the strategically important Bus Strait (Bashi Channel).
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese Air Force intruded into Taiwan’s airspace on Monday with four J-16 and J-10 sorties each, one Air Marshal-500 sortie, and one Yun-8 anti-submarine aircraft. After entering the “air defense identification zone” in the southwestern airspace of Taiwan, the aircraft flew towards the Bus Strait and returned after circling around the periphery of the southeastern airspace of Taiwan. The Taiwan Air Force dispatched air patrol troops to respond, broadcast repulsions, and air defense missiles to chase and monitor the aircraft.
This is the third consecutive day that Chinese military aircraft have disturbed Taiwan since April 3. Reuters reported that there was no immediate response from the Chinese Defense Ministry.
The Bus Strait is in the airspace southeast of Taiwan. Past activity by Chinese military aircraft has been concentrated in the airspace southwest of Taiwan. The Bus Strait connects the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean and is located between Taiwan and the Bataan Islands in the northern Philippines, a major international waterway. The strategic importance of the Bus Strait lies in its role as an important waterway along the first island chain.
The Chinese navy enters the western Pacific Ocean through the Bus Strait and the Miyako Strait. That area is surrounded by the Japanese military base in Naha and the U.S. military base in Guam. The U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces regularly conduct training exercises in the Strait of Bastille and Miyako.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and its surrounding waters, and Chinese military war patrols are fully justified and legal. Taiwan says it has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China and that the “Republic of China on Taiwan” is a sovereign state.
According to information released by Japan’s Defense Ministry on Sunday (April 4), the Chinese Navy’s Liaoning aircraft carrier, accompanied by five frigates, sailed through the Miyako Strait toward the Pacific Ocean. Previously, the Liaoning formation has passed through the Miyako Strait several times into the Pacific Ocean for long-distance training.
Analysts believe that the entry of Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan’s southeastern airspace has more political significance than military significance, as warplanes need air refueling to fly southeast of Taiwan. The analysts suggest that the Taiwanese military should pay attention to the air refueling capability of the “common aircraft” in the future, and whether the Chinese Navy is using carrier-based aircraft to escort bombers to infest Taiwan.
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