According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Taiwan’s defense department announced on the 29th that from 6 am on the 28th to 6 am on the 29th, 11 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and 10 naval vessels were detected conducting operations around the Taiwan Strait. Of note, the “BZK-005” drone, which was detected on the 27th, was spotted again.
Based on the “Taiwan Strait Airspace Activity Diagram” released by the Taiwanese Air Force, of the 11 PLA aircraft, three crossed the median line of the Strait and Taiwan’s extension line, entering the southwest, southeast, and northeast airspace of Taiwan. Specifically, a BZK-005 drone entered Taiwan’s northeast airspace, flying from north to south continuously into the southeastern airspace, and then proceeded west into the western airspace, almost making a clockwise loop around Taiwan. Additionally, two Jian-10 aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwestern airspace.
The BZK-005 drone, known to be operated by the PLA Navy, is a large unmanned aircraft with considerable endurance. It can perform military tasks like communication relay, reconnaissance, attack, and mapping. It has been involved in long-distance circumnavigation tasks around Taiwan in the past. Taiwan’s military speculated that this drone might have been deployed to probe Taiwan’s eastern air defense systems, especially with the “Bow 3” missile defense system placed in Yilan.
Taiwan’s “Ministry of Defense” stated that the Taiwanese military closely monitored and responded using aircraft, ships, and ground-based missile systems.
On August 19, the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command organized joint naval and aerial patrols around Taiwan and conducted combined forces exercises, eliciting a strong reaction in Taiwan. Taiwanese media described the exercises as creating a sense of “encirclement” around the island and deemed the display as “shocking.” Without specifying the exact timing and geographical scope, the drills sparked fervent discussion online within Taiwan.
The spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, Army Colonel Shi Yi, emphasized that “this is a stern warning to the Taiwanese independence forces and their collusion with external entities.” Many deduced from this statement that the PLA’s exercises were a harsh warning to Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-te for his “transit” through the US.
Experts from mainland China told the Global Times on the 20th that collusion between Taiwanese independence forces and external entities is the root cause of unrest in the Taiwan Strait. They opined that Taiwanese politicians and media should reflect deeply on the reasons and objectives behind the PLA’s actions and that the local population should actively denounce pro-independence activities.