Amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait, China deployed a record number of military aircraft near Taiwan for several days in a show of force that began on 1 October: the same day Beijing marked the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on 4 October that 56 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including 38 J-16 and two Su-30 multirole fighters, two KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare-capable aircraft, two KJ-500 airborne early warning and control platforms, and 12 H-6-series strategic bombers, had entered the island's south-western air-defence identifica-tion zone (ADIZ) that day: the largest number registered since the MND began making public PLA aircraft movements near Taiwan in mid-September 2020. According to the MND, 52 PLA aircraft were sent during the daytime, while four more were deployed at night.
展开▼
