The Ministry of National Defense reports a significant increase in Chinese
military activity around Taiwan ... as the 41st Han Kuang live-fire drills
draw near.

The MND says it detected 25 Chinese Air Force sorties operating in the Taiwan
Strait from 9:25 AM...

Of those, 16 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and
entered Taiwan's northern, central, eastern and southwestern air defense
identification zones.

Eight Chinese Navy ships were also detected coordinating with the Chinese
aircraft under what Beijing calls a "joint combat readiness patrol".

This escalation comes just a week before the 41st Han Kuang drills begin, and
follows similar detections yesterday of 53 aircraft and 8 naval vessels, with
37 of those aircraft having crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Defense officials emphasized Taiwan's military remains on high alert,
actively tracking movements and deploying assets to respond.

(IG)