Taipei, July 4 -- The United States has condemned China's escalating military activity around Taiwan as illegitimate and destabilising, just days ahead of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military exercises, Taipei Times reported on Thursday.

According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND), as of 6 am on Thursday, 41 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels were detected operating near Taiwan within the past 24 hours.

Of the aircraft, 27 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the island's northern, central, and southwestern air defence identification zones (ADIZ), Taipei Times reported.

Taiwan's armed forces responded by deploying patrol aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems to monitor and tr...