13 Chinese warplanes, 6 naval vessels detected near Taiwan’s territory

Taipei : Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Monday said it detected 13 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels operating around the island until 6 am (local time). Of the aircraft, eight crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island’s northern, southwestern, and southeastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). The ministry said Taiwanese forces had “monitored the situation and responded” accordingly.
“13 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 8 out of 13 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded, MND wrote in an X post. The fresh incursion marks yet another episode in China’s continuing military pressure campaign against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
This comes a day after the MND reported 16 Chinese aircraft, eight naval vessels, and one official ship operating near Taiwan’s air and maritime zones on Sunday. Of those, 13 aircraft had also crossed the median line, flying into similar areas of the island’s ADIZ.
Meanwhile, a leading Taiwanese defence analyst has rejected the notion that China could effectively blockade Taiwan with only a handful of submarines, arguing that such a military manoeuvre is both logistically and strategically implausible, as reported by Taipei Times.
According to Taipei Times, at a seminar hosted by the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University, Alexander Huang, a strategic studies scholar at Tamkang University, challenged the claim made by China affairs expert Willy Lam.
Lam, a senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, had stated at a symposium in Washington that China could impose a naval blockade around Taiwan simply by deploying four or five submarines. Huang questioned the sustainability of such a blockade, emphasising that even nuclear-powered submarines have operational limitations.
“A nuclear submarine can stay submerged for extended periods, but the crew still needs food, rest, and rotation. No vessel can maintain its position forever,” he said. Huang further warned that a blockade, if attempted, would expose Chinese submarines to severe risks.
“It’s not only about sustaining the blockade, but also about whether those submarines could return safely. Other nations’ naval forces could easily obstruct their path back to Chinese ports,” he noted, adding that Taiwan has the capability to strike back if necessary.