Chinese fighter jet enters Taiwan’s ADIZ

Chinese J-11 fighter jet. (MND photo) Chinese J-11 fighter jet. (MND photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Chinese fighter jet entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday (March 6), marking the second intrusion this month.

A single People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter plane flew into the southwest corner of the ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track it.

An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country’s airspace where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves.

Eight Chinese military aircraft have been tracked in the identification zone so far this month, including three fighter jets, three spotter planes, and two helicopters.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner. In 2021, Chinese military planes entered the ADIZ on 961 instances over 239 days, according to the MND.