DEFENSE/14 Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan's ADIZ: Defense ministry

Taipei, March 13 (CNA) Fourteen Chinese military aircraft were detected in Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) Wednesday morning, including nine that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or its extension, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The 14 aircraft included unspecified numbers of J-10 fighter jets, Y-8 transport aircraft, and drones, which were detected between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., the MND said in a statement.

An ADIZ is a self-declared area in which a country claims the right to identify, locate, and control approaching foreign aircraft but is not part of its territorial airspace as defined by international law.

The aircraft, along with People Liberation Army (PLA) ships, were on a routine "joint combat readiness patrol" mission, the MND said.

The military kept close tabs on the PLA aircraft and vessels and took appropriate measures by deploying combat air patrol vehicles, ships, and coastal missile systems, it said.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the MND said that 10 PLA aircraft were detected in Taiwan's ADIZ in the 24 hours starting at 6 a.m. on March 12.

Of those planes, four crossed the strait's median line or its extension and entered the country's southwestern and eastern ADIZ, the MND said.

According to flight routes released by the MND, a Chinese drone flew deep into Taiwan's southern ADIZ before reaching an airspace off the southeastern coast and turning back.

Meanwhile, nine PLA ships were operating in waters around the country, the MND said.

The MND responded according to its standard protocols by deploying combat air patrol vehicles, ships, and coastal missile systems, it said.