China sends 29 military aircraft towards Taiwan, 22 of them across the Strait's median line

China sent 29 military aircraft, including drones, out towards Taiwan from 04:38 TRT (09:38 in Taipei) on 12 November, and 22 of them crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or its extension, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said. The ministry said the aircraft flew into areas to the north, centre, southwest and east of the island while working with Chinese warships.

According to the ministry, the formations included J-10 and J-16 fighters, JH-7 fighter-bombers, KJ-500 airborne early-warning aircraft and YY-20 aerial refuelling tankers, along with uncrewed aircraft. It described the activity as harassment of the air and sea space around Taiwan carried out under the name of what Beijing calls a joint combat readiness patrol. The statement was issued at 09:20 TRT, less than five hours after the first aircraft were detected.

The ministry said Taiwan's forces tracked the activity closely using joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, and dispatched mission aircraft, naval ships and shore-based missile systems to respond. It did not say how many Chinese warships took part or whether any of the aircraft entered Taiwan's territorial airspace.

The United Daily News reported that this was the second such patrol aimed at Taiwan this month, following one on 4 November. On that day the ministry reported 14 aircraft sorties, 12 of which crossed the median line into areas to the north, centre and southwest, again alongside Chinese warships. The patrol on 12 November was roughly twice as large and extended to the east of the island as well.

The Liberty Times placed the patrol in the run-up to Taiwan's nine-in-one local elections, saying China was keeping up both military pressure and grey-zone harassment against the island. The ministry's own statement made no reference to the elections.

The flights came a day after foreign ministers of the Group of Seven, meeting in Paris, said in a joint declaration that China's increasingly assertive actions in the waters east of Taiwan threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and the safety of international shipping. Reuters described it as the strongest unified expression of concern about the activity to date. Taiwan's Presidential Office welcomed the statement and said the island would keep strengthening its self-defence capabilities and work with like-minded partners.

China has stepped up activity off Taiwan's east coast since June, including regular coast guard patrols, and officials in Taipei say they believe Beijing is practising for a possible maritime blockade using military, paramilitary and civilian assets. Taiwan regards the waters east of the island as critical to wartime supply routes from its partners. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on 10 November that Chinese naval formations including an aircraft carrier were carrying out area denial drills in the Western Pacific.