Taipei [Taiwan], April 13 (ANI): Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Sunday reported the detection of six People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels operating around the island as of 6 am (UTC+8).

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the ministry said, '6 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 am (UTC+8) today. Illustration of flight path is not provided due to no PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan were detected during this timeframe.'

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1911223191185580168

The latest development follows heightened activity recorded just a day earlier. On Saturday, the MND said it had detected 34 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and seven PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan by 6 a.m. that day.

Of the 34 aircraft, 19 crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern Air Defence Identification Zones (ADIZ), underscoring increased Chinese military presence in the region.

These frequent incursions and maritime operations reflect rising tensions between Taiwan and China, a relationship long fraught with geopolitical strain. Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), governs itself independently with its own political and economic systems.

However, China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory under the 'One China' principle, insisting there is only one China with its capital in Beijing.

The dispute's roots trace back to the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when the ROC government fled to Taiwan after the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, took control of mainland China.

Since then, Beijing has maintained its goal of reunification, using military, diplomatic, and economic means to apply pressure on Taiwan and diminish its international space.

Despite these efforts, Taiwan maintains its de facto independence with strong public support and continues to assert its sovereignty amid ongoing external pressures. The MND regularly monitors and publicly reports such military movements to ensure transparency and national security awareness. (ANI)