Taiwanese army reports appearance of 20 Chinese aircraft near island

By Alimat Aliyeva

The armed forces of Taiwan recorded the appearance of 20 aircraft and 8 ships of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) near the island, Azernews reports, citing the defense ministry of Taiwan.

The Taiwanese military noted that 14 PLA vehicles crossed the so-called middle line of the Taiwan Strait, which is considered a conditional demarcation line with mainland China on the island. Among them were J-16 fighter jets, Y-8 multirole aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of March, the Taiwanese army has recorded the appearance of 343 military aircraft and 186 Chinese ships near the island.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there, having been defeated in the Chinese civil war. Beijing considers Taiwan to be one of the provinces of the People's Republic of China.