Taiwan reports ‘largest’ incursion by Chinese forces

Taiwan reports ‘largest’ incursion by Chinese forces

Subject : International Relations

Context : As many as 28 Chinese air force aircraft, including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers, entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, the island’s government said. It is the largest reported incursion to date.

Concept :

• While there was no immediate comment from Beijing, the news comes after the Group of Seven leaders issued a joint statement on Sunday scolding China and underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Air Defence Identification Zone

• It is a zone which provides an early warning system to help a country detect possible incursions into its sovereign airspace.
• When an aircraft enters an ADIZ without warning, the country in question may scramble fighter jets to visually identify the aircraft and determine whether it poses a threat
• In other words, ADIZ is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft are performed in the interest of national security.
• The first ADIZ was established by the United States in 1950 when it created a joint North American ADIZ with Canada, citing the legal right of a nation to establish reasonable conditions of entry into its territory
• The concept of an ADIZ is not defined in any international treaty and is not regulated by any international body

Air Defence Identification Zone in India

• India established ADIZs in the mid-twentieth century. Among other rules, notifications are required 10 minutes prior to entry.
• India has demarcated six ADIZ near its territory. They are the international border with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, Over the Line of Actual Control with China and two in the southern region of India.

Taiwan Strait

• The Taiwan Strait, also known as the Formosa Strait, is a 180 km wide strait separating Taiwan and mainland China.
• The strait is currently part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is 130 km wide.
• The entire strait is on Asia’s continental shelf.
• Historically both the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan espoused a One-China Policy that considered the strait part of the exclusive economic zone of a single “China”.