Taipei, Feb. 8 -- Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported that 11 Chinese military aircraft and 8 naval vessels were detected near the island until 6 am (UTC+8) on Saturday.

Of these, 9 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern and southwestern parts of Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The ministry also detected one Chinese balloon during this period.

"11 sorties of PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 9 out of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. 1 PRC balloon was detected during this timeframe," the MND said in its official statement.

In recent weeks, China ha...