Taipei [Taiwan], December 4 (ANI): Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Thursday said that it recorded 8 sorties by PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around its territory.

Sharing the details in a post on X, MND said that two of the eight sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ.

'8 sorties of PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 2 out of 8 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded', MND wrote on X.

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1996383957634396410?s=20

Earlier on Wednesday, MND had detected 10 PLA aircraft, 6 PLAN vessels and 2 official ships operating around Taiwan.

Sharing the details in a post on X, MND said that 4 out of 10 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern ADIZ.

Taiwan detected nine sorties of Chinese military aircraft, eight naval vessels and two official ships operating around its territorial waters as of 6am (local time) on Tuesday.

Of the nine, one sortie entered Taiwan's eastern ADIZ.

Meanwhile, a former US defence official from the Joe Biden administration has expressed support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi following her remarks indicating that Japan might assist in defending Taiwan, labelling Beijing's reaction as 'inappropriate,' reported the Taipei Times.

Ely Ratner, who was the assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs from 2021 to this year, stated that Takaichi's comments about Taiwan merely echoed Japan's official stance on the matter.

On November 7, the Japanese prime minister mentioned during a parliamentary meeting that a Chinese assault on Taiwan could be considered 'a situation threatening Japan's survival,' potentially leading to military action, according to the Taipei Times.

Takaichi is believed to be the first Japanese leader in decades to openly propose that a crisis in the Taiwan Strait might result in Japan's military involvement.

Her statement provoked anger in China, which has implemented a range of retaliatory actions aimed at damaging Japan's economy, such as issuing warnings against travel and study in Japan and halting the resumption of Japanese seafood imports. Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, remarked in a now-deleted social media post that Takaichi should be 'decapitated'. (ANI)