Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan air defence zone for sixth time this month
Taipei: Taiwan on Thursday reported another incursion by China, as seven Chinese air forces warplanes flew into the island's air defence identification zone (ADIZ).
It comes just two days after the People Liberation Army sent a record 28 planes to the island's ADIZ, South China Morning Post reported.
The newest incursions involved two newer-model J-16 fighter jets, four old model J-7 fighters and one Y-8 electric warfare aircraft.
In a statement, Taiwan's defence ministry said the planes had prompted the island's air force "to scramble jets, issue radio warnings and deploy air defence missile systems to monitor the activities of the planes".
It was the sixth time PLA planes had entered Taiwan's ADIZ this month, according to the ministry.
This comes after Taiwan signed two arms procurement contracts with the United States for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and Harpoon Coastal Defence Systems, which could significantly boost the island's asymmetrical warfare capability, according to a document released to the legislature by the defence ministry.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, even though the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades
Recently, the Group of Seven Seven leaders issued a joint statement, slamming China for a series of issues and underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait -- comments China condemned as "slander."
Taiwan has complained in recent months of repeated missions by China's air force near the island, concentrated in the southwestern part of its air defence zone near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
