Taiwan's air force scrambled jets as 19 Chinese warplanes including nuclear-powered bombers entered its air defence zone, the country's defense ministry said in a statement Sunday.
Taiwan has been protesting for a year of repeated incursions by the Chinese air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
China considers Taiwan as a breakaway province, but Taiwan views itself as a sovereign state.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, it spotted the Chinese aircraft as they entered its air defence identification zone, and issued radio warnings to the crews.
The Chinese mission was also detected by radar and missile defence systems were activated, the ministry said.
A Chinese military aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on August 15, marking the fourth intrusion this month, Taiwan News reported.
Since September 2020, China has ramped up its so-called "gray zone tactics" by routinely sending military planes into the country's ADIZ. June and July saw fewer incursions compared to previous months, the report said.
The latest Chinese incursions involved 10 J16 and four SU30 warplanes including four H6 bombers, which has the capability to carry nuclear weapons, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said.
The defense ministry released a map that showed a flight trajectory northeast of the Pratas, in close proximity to China's coast than Taiwan's.
Chinese military officials have not commented on the flight, the biggest air mission since June 15 when almost 30 Chinese planes - including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers - entered Taiwan's ADIZ.
An ADIZ is an area that stretches beyond a nation's airspace where air traffic controllers communicate with incoming planes and ask them to identify themselves.
Gray zone tactics are defined "as an effort or series of efforts beyond steady state deterrence and guarantee that attempts to attain one's security goals without resorting to direct use of force," Taiwan News stated.
Taiwan's defence ministry warned last week that China's military could "disable" Taiwan's defences and that the Chinese threat is increasing.
China said its air force activities is necessary to protect the nation's sovereignty and deal with "collusion" between Taiwan and the U.S.
