Taipei : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that five sorties of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, eight People's Liberation Army Naval (PLAN) vessels and one official ship were detected operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time) on Thursday.
Out of the five sorties, one crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. In a post on X, Taiwan's MND stated, "5 sorties of PLA aircraft, 8 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 out of 5 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."
Earlier on Wednesday, Taiwan's MND said that nine sorties of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, nine People's Liberation Army Naval (PLAN) vessels and one official ship were detected.
"9 sorties of PLA aircraft, 9 PLAN vessels and 1 official ship operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 3 out of 9 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded," Taiwan MND posted on X.
Meanwhile, a recent study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) sheds light on what has long been feared regarding Beijing's invasion strategy and emphasises the vital role that Taiwan's ports could play.
The ASPI study indicates that if China were to act on its longstanding threats to invade Taiwan, its ground forces would heavily rely on capturing the island's crucial port facilities, as Taiwan's beaches are ill-suited for large-scale military landings due to limited infrastructure and susceptibility to defensive gunfire.
The report emphasises that despite China revealing its enhanced beach landing barges unexpectedly, Taiwan's 14 viable beaches are naturally designed as "kill zones," underscoring the strategic importance of ports. Defence analyst Ian Easton noted that the success or failure of any invasion would likely depend on whether Chinese amphibious landing forces can capture, maintain, and utilise the island's significant port facilities, as quoted by ASPI.