Taiwan detects 6 Chinese sorties, 7 vessels around itself
Taipei, February 7
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected the presence of six Chinese sorties and seven naval vessels operating around its territorial waters as of 6am on Saturday.
Of the six, five sorties sorties entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern ADIZ.
In a post on X, the MND said, "6 sorties of PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 5 out of 6 sorties entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."
Earlier on Friday, the MND detected 8 sorties of PLA aircraft and six PLAN vessels. Of the 8 sorties, 6 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern ADIZ.
In a post on X, the MND said, "8 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 6 out of 8 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded."
As the United States convened a meeting of several nations on critical minerals on Wednesday, a move seen as an effort to protect it from China's virtual hegemony, US President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, spoke about his call with Xi, confirmed his visit to China in April, and said that the relationship with China was extremely good.
"I have just completed an excellent telephone conversation with President Xi, of China. It was a long and thorough call, where many important subjects were discussed, including Trade, Military, the April trip that I will be making to China (which I very much look forward to!), Taiwan, the War between Russia/Ukraine, the current situation with Iran, the purchase of Oil and Gas by China from the United States, the consideration by China of the purchase of additional Agricultural products including lifting the Soybean count to 20 Million Tons for the current season (They have committed to 25 Million Tons for next season!), Airplane engine deliveries, and numerous other subjects, all very positive! The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realize how important it is to keep it that way. I believe that there will be many positive results achieved over the next three years of my Presidency having to do with President Xi, and the People's Republic of China! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP," he posted.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The timing with the US minerals meeting is interesting. It feels like a show of strength. As an Indian, I watch this closely because regional instability affects trade and security for everyone. The world doesn't need another flashpoint right now.
Respectfully, I think the Indian media should be careful about how it reports this. Taiwan is a part of China, and these are China's internal exercises in its own vicinity. We have our own border concerns; we should focus on those.
Living in India, I see how complex border issues can be. This feels like a calculated pressure tactic. Trump's call with Xi seems more about trade than peace. Hope the people of Taiwan are safe 🙏
The world is watching. China's actions here remind us why a strong, independent foreign policy for India is non-negotiable. We cannot afford to be naive about the intentions of powerful neighbours.
It's all about strategic posturing. The aircraft numbers are almost the same daily. This is meant to be a message to the US and its allies more than anything else. Sadly, Taiwan is caught in the middle.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.