Taiwan’s air force said it scrambled jets after 18 Chinese aircraft, including bombers and fighters, crossed the so-called median line that divides the Taiwan Strait.

Eleven Chinese military aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line or entered Taiwan’s air defence zone on Sunday, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said, as Beijing continues military activities close to the Chinese-claimed island.

The latest military exercise was notable for breaking a single-day record, both in total number of aircraft deployed as well as the number that crossed the so-called median line, an informal boundary between the two sides. Forty-seven out of the 71 aircraft crossed that line, according to the Taiwanese defense ministry. Passing over the line is seen as more provocative, because the aircraft would be on a straight course over Taiwan if they did not veer away.

Taiwanese authorities said eight military ships and 42 warplanes were spotted near Taiwan from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. local time Saturday. Twenty-nine of those jets had flown close to Taiwanese airspace or crossed the median line — an unofficial boundary running down the middle of the Taiwan Strait — that Beijing has increasingly violated in recent months.

Its map of Chinese activities over the past 24 hours showed fighter jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which had served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides until China began regularly crossing it a year ago.

Median line

Meaning

Noun