Taiwan’s military on Jan. 6 deployed aircraft and naval vessels after detecting 17 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around the island nation, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intensified pressure on the self-ruled island.

Taiwan’s defense ministry reported tracking the CCP’s warplanes and naval vessels at around 6 a.m. (local time) on Friday, with four Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

The Taiwanese military responded by deploying aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems to monitor the CCP’s aircraft and vessels.

The ministry said it also detected 12 Chinese warplanes and four naval vessels surrounding Taiwan at 6 a.m. (local time) on Jan. 5, with four Chinese aircraft entering the island’s ADIZ.

The CCP claims Taiwan is a breakaway province that must be united with mainland China and vows to use military force to achieve this goal. Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949 and has never been controlled by the CCP.

The CCP regularly uses its military to intimidate Taiwan, as seen on Christmas Day when it sent 71 planes and seven ships toward the island in its largest show of force since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan in August last year.

AFP reported that a total of 1,727 Chinese aircraft crossed into Taiwan’s ADIZ in 2022, surpassing 960 in 2021, citing data released by Taiwan’s defense…