17 Chinese warplanes, ships spotted around Taiwan

BEIJING

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry said Sunday it tracked 17 warplanes and five warships belonging to China around the island.

Eight People's Liberation Army Air Force warplanes crossed the median line above the Taiwan Strait, it said.

Chinese air and sea vehicles were tracked with electronic tracking tools, patrol planes, ships and ground missile systems, it added.

China has increased military activities around Taiwan, which it views as its “breakaway province,” since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation to the island nation of more than 24 million people earlier this month.