Alert in Taiwan. China sent 25 fighter jets and three warships to Taiwan on Wednesday morning, the island’s defense ministry announced, as diplomatic tension between Beijing and Taipei’s main backer, Washington, remains high.

The Ministry of Defense reported that 19 of these aircraft passed into Taiwan’s air defense reconnaissance zone, while the warships continued to operate in the Taiwan Straits. He added that Taiwan responded by raising fighter jets, dispatching ships and activating coastal missile defense systems to “closely monitor and respond”.

China conducts such incursions on an almost daily basis, some of which are called “gray zone” tactics, aimed at intimidating and wearing down Taiwan’s equipment, exhausting its personnel and degrading public morale. These tactics also include cyberwarfare and disinformation, as well as efforts to deprive Taiwan of diplomatic allies.

Taiwan responded by upgrading its fleet of F-16 fighter jets and ordering 66 more planes from the US, while purchasing a number of other weapons and extending compulsory military service from four months to a year. Taipei also provided a relevant map of Chinese movements.