Taipei [Taiwan], December 28 (ANI): Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence detected three sorties of Chinese aircraft, seven naval vessels around the country as of 6 am (local time) on Sunday.

'3 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 3 out of 3 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded, ' the MND said in an X post.

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/2005081265205379112

Earlier on Saturday, MND had said that 13 sorties of Chinese PLA aircraft and seven PLAN naval vessels were spotted operating around Taiwan until 6 am (local time).

The ministry said 12 of the 13 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zones (ADIZ).

China regularly carries out military drills and patrols around Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. Taiwan, which is governed separately, has repeatedly accused Beijing of using military pressure to intimidate the island.

Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) accused China of engaging in 'transnational suppression and political manipulation' after a Chinese public security agency claimed that Taiwanese nationals were responsible for a smuggling scheme involving a vessel crewed by Chinese that was damaged undersea cables earlier this year, according to the report from Taipei Times.

In June, a Taiwanese court sentenced the Chinese captain of the Togo-registered ship Hong Tai 58 to three years in prison after determining he was guilty of deliberately damaging subsea cables off Taiwan in February, which raised concerns among officials.

The public security bureau in Weihai, located in China's Shandong Province, stated that its investigation into the incident revealed that two Taiwanese individuals orchestrated a multi-vessel operation that was unlawfully transporting frozen goods into China. These findings from Chinese authorities followed interviews with seven crew members from the Hong Tai 58, as reported by Taipei Times.

The MAC has dismissed the Chinese findings in a statement. (ANI)