Taipei — Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence reported detecting 27 Chinese military aircraft sorties and six naval vessels operating around the island as of 9:05 a.m. local time. Of those 27 sorties, the MND said 22 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the northern, central, southwestern and eastern sectors. The aircraft reportedly included J-10 fighters, H-6K bombers and KJ-500 early warning planes, and were conducting air-sea joint training alongside other People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels. The Republic of China Armed Forces monitored the activity and said they responded accordingly.
Earlier in the morning, the MND had reported that by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) there had been 15 sorties and six PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan; those 15 sorties also crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. The ministry said it tracked and responded to those earlier movements as well.
Separately, a former U.S. defense official from the Biden administration publicly backed comments by Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi in support of possible Japanese assistance to defend Taiwan, saying Beijing’s response was “inappropriate,” according to the Taipei Times. Ely Ratner, who served as assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs from 2021 to 2025, said Takaichi’s remarks reflected Japan’s official stance.
On November 7, Takaichi told Japan’s parliament that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could be considered “a situation threatening Japan’s survival,” potentially justifying military action. Observers noted she was likely the first Japanese leader in decades to openly suggest Japan might become militarily involved in a Taiwan Strait crisis. China reacted angrily, taking retaliatory economic measures that included travel and study warnings about Japan and suspending the resumption of Japanese seafood imports. Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, made a now-deleted social media post saying Takaichi should be “decapitated.” (ANI)
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