Taipei — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that five People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels and one official Chinese ship were detected operating near Taiwan’s territorial waters as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) on Wednesday. The MND said Taiwan’s armed forces monitored the presence and took responsive measures. No PLA aircraft were detected during the same period, so no flight-path illustration was provided.
The ministry had also reported the presence of five PLAN vessels in the area by 6 a.m. on Tuesday, saying the ROC Armed Forces monitored and responded in that instance as well.
The broader dispute over Taiwan’s status involves historical, political and legal claims. Beijing maintains that Taiwan is part of China, while Taiwan functions with its own government, military and economy. According to the United Service Institution of India, the claim traces back to the Qing Dynasty’s annexation of the island in 1683; Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War and remained under Japanese rule for five decades. After World War II Taiwan was returned to Chinese administration, although the sovereignty transfer was not formalized. The 1949 Chinese Civil War led to the founding of the People’s Republic of China on the mainland and the retreat of the Republic of China government to Taiwan, producing competing sovereignty claims. Taiwan has operated as a de facto independent state but has avoided a formal declaration of independence to reduce the risk of military conflict with the PRC.
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