Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has detected nine Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Friday (May 3) and the same time Saturday (May 4), media reports said.

The ministry said it monitored the situation with its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, and deployed land-based air defense missile systems. However, at the time of publication, it did not mention whether the Chinese planes had crossed the median line or entered the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), reported Taiwan News.

In May, the Ministry has detected Chinese military aircraft 39 times and naval vessels 21 times.

Since September 2020, Beijing has increased its use of "gray zone tactics" by operating more military aircraft and naval ships 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 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.

Why is Taiwan important to China?

“A lot of things actually, which of course are related to Taiwan but not necessarily direct to Taiwan. It's more about (China's) relationship changing with the United States – or we should say Western Countries, mainly the United States and China. Taiwan then happens to become a key player and main actor in this dynamics,” said Alice.

100 miles from the coast of China, Taiwan is an island, that is located in the “first island chain,” this positioning makes it crucial to the US foreign policy.

US-Sino relations hinge on, ‘One China Policy,’ it acknowledges that, “there is only one Chinese Government." The US recognises its formal ties with China. With Taiwan the US shares independent strong “unofficial” relations.