Taipei, Dec. 13 — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) reported it detected nine sorties of Chinese military aircraft and seven People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels operating around the island’s territorial waters as of 6:00 a.m. (UTC+8) on Saturday.
The MND said four of the nine aircraft sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). In a post on X, the ministry stated: “9 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 out of 9 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded.”
The level of activity represented a notable decline from Friday, when the MND recorded 33 PLA aircraft sorties and seven PLAN vessels. Of those 33 sorties, 23 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. The MND similarly reported having monitored and responded to that activity.
Separately, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released its annual report criticizing what it describes as growing repression by Chinese authorities. The CECC highlighted the case of Taiwanese activist Yang Chih-yuan, who it says has been detained on politically motivated charges, and catalogued multiple instances of arbitrary detention and unfair prosecution. The commission urged U.S. lawmakers to raise these concerns in future discussions with Beijing, according to The Taipei Times.
The CECC, created under the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, monitors human rights and the rule of law in China and submits its findings annually to the U.S. President and Congress.
(This article is based on syndicated reporting and published as received; the publisher assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.)
