Chinese Fighter Jet Harasses Taiwan for Sixth Time in Ten Days

A Chinese fighter jet flew through Taiwan’s airspace on Friday, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) Air Force Command Headquarters. This was the sixth time in ten days a Chinese warplane has entered Taiwan’s airspace, Taiwan News reported.

A Chengdu J-10 was detected entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) midday Friday, the newspaper said, citing a report by Channel News Asia (CNA). Taiwan’s air force responded to the incursion by issuing a warning to the Chinese plane and deploying an air reconnaissance patrol aircraft to intercept it. The J-10 departed Taiwan’s ADIZ shortly afterward.

According to the report, Friday’s incident marked the sixth time since June 9 that Chinese military aircraft have “violated” Taiwan’s ADIZ, with the majority of the invasions of Taiwan’s airspace occurring in the southwest corner of the ADIZ.

According to Taiwan’s MND, on June 9 “several Chinese Su-30s briefly entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone southwest of Taiwan, and Taiwan’s Air Force responded with radio warnings and monitored their movements until they flew off.” At the time, Beijing said its latest aggression toward Taiwan “demonstrated how much the PLA [China’s People’s Liberation Army] was determined and prepared for war.”

Heightened diplomatic tensions between Taiwan and China in recent months have spilled over into repeated displays of military aggression by Beijing. China increasingly deploys its PLA fighter jets and coast guard vessels to belligerently patrol Taiwan’s airspace and waters as a means of intimidation.

Although Taiwan is a sovereign state, China erroneously views the island as a rebellious Chinese territory. Under this false premise, Beijing bullies Taiwan both politically and militarily in an attempt to gain control over the country.

Western allies of Taiwan such as the U.S. demonstrate their support of the island in the face of Chinese harassment by flying their own military aircraft in and near Taiwan’s ADIZ, with permission. The U.S. has done this several times already this year, most recently on June 9.