Chinese Military Activity Around Taiwan Intensifies After Canadian, US Naval Vessels Transit Strait
China has also accused Australia of deliberately intruding into its airspace over the disputed Xisha (Paracel) Islands in the South China Sea.
TAIPEI - Chinese military activity around Taiwan intensified following the transit of the Taiwan Strait by the Canadian naval vessel HMCS Ottawa on February 16, 2025, passing from south to north, just days after two US vessels, a destroyer, and an ocean survey ship, made the same passage.
Although U.S. military aircraft and naval forces regularly transit the Strait, Canada sent naval forces through the Strait for the first time this year and for the sixth time since the release of its Indo-Pacific Strategy in 2022.
The heightened activity by Chinese military forces included the movement of military aircraft and naval forces in the region, including 41 military aircraft, 9 PLA Navy (PLAN) vessels, and one official ship, reflecting China's sensitivity to foreign military presence near its claimed boundaries.
Yesterday, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said that 24 Chinese military aircraft, which included fighter jets and drones, were spotted carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" along with naval vessels around the island.
China has also accused Australia of deliberately intruding into its airspace over the disputed Xisha (Paracel) Islands in the South China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made "solemn representations" to Australia over the military plane's "deliberate intrusion into China's airspace", according to China's military.
Paracel Islands: Hotly Disputed Territory Claimed By China, Vietnam, Taiwan
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