Taiwan spots 26 Chinese aircraft, 7 ships in Island's vicinity

"26 PLA [People's Liberation Army of China] aircraft and 7 PLAN [People's Liberation Army Navy] vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) [22:00 GMT on Thursday] today. 13 of the detected aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan’s southwest and east ADIZ [air defense identification zone]," the defense ministry said in a statement.

The Taiwanese military is monitoring the situation and has ordered its aircraft, naval vessels and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities, the ministry added.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.

The latest escalation around Taiwan took place in April after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States.

Beijing responded by launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a warning to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers.

(With UNI inputs)