The Taiwanese military will not hesitate to strike back if Chinese aircraft or spy balloons enter the island nation’s airspace or territorial waters.
The announcement came from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence amid increasing incursions by Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Last Saturday, Taipei detected up to 27 Chinese military aircraft and a Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter around its territory.
According to Taiwanese military official Lin Wen-Huang, the first response to illegal incursions will still be scrambling its combat patrol aircraft and dispatching naval vessels.
The self-ruled nation will also deploy its land-based air defense missile systems to warn the Chinese warplanes.
However, if any PLA aircraft or “entities” fail to heed the warnings and enter Taiwan’s airspace, the Taiwanese armed forces will immediately “strike back” in self-defense.
Lin emphasized that the decision is meant to “resolutely safeguard the security” of the country.
A ‘Rare’ Incident
Although Chinese warplanes frequently fly near Taiwan, Saturday’s reported incursion was considered a “rare” incident by Taiwanese authorities.
Beijing does not always send its assets near Taipei’s contiguous zone, or about 44 nautical miles from the median line.
But among the 27 aircraft detected last week, eight reportedly breached the line and were only 24 nautical miles away from Taiwan’s shore.
The last time it happened was in 2022, and it also involved eight PLA warplanes approaching the Taiwanese coastline.
The Taiwanese military had previously said it would not engage in a first strike to prevent further escalation of conflict.
However, it clarified that such a rule does not mean the armed forces would not defend its territories from hostile activities.