Taiwan's Defense Ministry closely monitors ongoing Chinese military and official vessel incursions.

The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China released its routine report today on the activities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces in the sea and airspace around the Taiwan Strait. According to military statistics, from 6:00 AM yesterday to 6:00 AM today, a total of 11 PLA naval vessels, 6 mainland Chinese official ships, and 5 PLA aircraft were detected intruding into the sea and airspace surrounding Taiwan. Among them, some PLA aircraft directly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, with their operational range covering the central, southwestern, and eastern airspace of Taiwan, exerting continuous pressure on national defense security and regional peace and stability. Faced with the frequent and oppressive military intimidation by Chinese naval and air forces, the Ministry of National Defense maintained a high level of vigilance. It immediately employed joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) measures, dispatched mission aircraft and vessels, and deployed land-based missile systems for close monitoring and appropriate response to ensure the safety of the nation's airspace and territorial waters.

Viewed from the macro perspective of recent geopolitics in the Taiwan Strait, China's implementation of gray-zone harassment against Taiwan has long become a normalized and institutionalized strategic tool. In this latest action, the Chinese military not only dispatched traditional warships and fighter jets, but also mobilized an unusually high number of six mainland Chinese official ships to operate around the Taiwan Strait. The inclusion of coast guard and maritime official vessels indicates that the Beijing authorities are attempting to blur the line between war and peace through "military-civilian mixed" law enforcement and military operations. By doing so, they aim to assert jurisdiction over Taiwan's waters and routinely compress Taiwan's defense depth and reaction time. This dual-track operational model combining official ships with warships is not only a major test for Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration and Navy, but also a clear attempt to create a fait accompli in international jurisprudence and challenge the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

Notably, the flight paths of the PLA aircraft harassing Taiwan were not limited to the traditional southwestern airspace of the Taiwan Strait, but further extended to the central and eastern airspace. For a long time, the southwestern airspace has been the most frequent hotspot for activities within the PLA's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), primarily due to its proximity to the Bashi Channel and the strategic passage of the South China Sea. However, the recent frequent approaches of PLA aircraft toward the east of the median line, the airspace over central Taiwan, and even circling into the eastern sea and airspace, indicate that the tactical assumptions of the PLA have shifted from early "interception" to "normalized island encirclement" and "multi-directional oppression." The eastern airspace was once regarded as an important hinterland for the preservation of Taiwan's combat strength; however, as the activities of PLA aircraft and vessels in the eastern waters become increasingly frequent, the military is facing a comprehensive and dead-corner-free severe challenge in its defensive combat operations.

Faced with the uninterrupted military intimidation by Chinese naval and air forces, the ROC Armed Forces have consistently maintained a professional attitude of neither acting rashly nor showing weakness. The Ministry of National Defense emphasized that the military utilizes joint ISR mechanisms to maintain full control over the dynamics around the Taiwan Strait. Upon receiving reports of the movements of PLA aircraft, vessels, and official ships, the tri-service forces immediately followed the contingency disposition regulations and dispatched air patrol forces and naval surveillance ships, while activating land-based air defense and anti-ship missile systems for tracking and monitoring. This response principle of "countering speed with speed and stillness with movement" not only tests the psychological resilience and combat readiness of frontline officers and soldiers, but also demonstrates to the international community Taiwan's firm determination to defend itself, showing that it will never compromise due to the other side's military threats.

Looking at the current security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, the security of the Taiwan Strait is no longer merely a cross-strait issue, but a core hub affecting global supply chains, freedom of navigation, and the security of the international democratic camp. Through the frequent maneuvers of naval and air forces and gray-zone harassment, China attempts to exhaust Taiwan's defense resources and strike down public morale; this strategy of attrition brings only harm and no benefit to regional stability. As the front line of the democratic defense line, Taiwan can only effectively deter unilateral military expansion by continuously strengthening its asymmetric combat capabilities, deepening defense autonomy, and maintaining close intelligence exchanges and strategic cooperation with like-minded democratic nations. The strict monitoring and proper response by the ROC Armed Forces on this occasion serve as an indispensable and solid backing for safeguarding national sovereignty and regional peace.