Taiwan reported detecting 18 Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels, plus a coast guard unit, around the island over a 24-hour period. at 6 local time (11pm on Thursday in Italy) around the island, in view of today’s departure of President William Lai for his first trip abroad which will take him to visit the last three allies in the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau ) with a stopover in Hawaii and one in the American territory of Guam, a source of strong irritation for China.
The Ministry of Defense reported in a statement that 7 planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) southwest of the island. The military has detected two more balloons, bringing the total to six since Sunday, north of Taiwan. Beijing considers the island an “inalienable” and “sacred” part of its territory destined for reunification even with the use of force, if necessary.