Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has said 13 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels were tracked around the region between Monday and Tuesday.

Of the 13 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, three entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time, reported Taiwan News.

Taiwan responded to the situation and sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLA activity.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 314 times and naval vessels 172 times, reported Taiwan News.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan, the news portal reported.

What is the basis of China’s claim over Taiwan?

The basis of China’s claim over Taiwan dates back to 1945 when Japan lost its control over the island in 1945,post-World War Two.

The 1949 Chinese civil war led to communists taking control and Chiang Kai-shek the one who lost fled to Taiwan.

He ruled it for many decades. This is where China’s claim to Taiwan emanates. The very fact that Chiang Kai-shek came to Taiwan and was not indigenous to the place is Taiwan’s argument against the claim.