The Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Taiwan recently tracked one Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between Friday and Saturday.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) helicopter entered the country's eastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND as quoted by Taiwan News.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLA activity, the news portal reported.

Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 40 times and naval vessels 35 times so far in the ongoing month.

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, reported Taiwan News.

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 lead 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.