U.S. military aircraft approached within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan, prompting the PLA to issue a direct warning and expulsion order. This incident is not simple. On August 12, in waters 24 nautical miles off the coast of Taiwan Island, a Chinese Navy 052D destroyer, the "Nanjing," issued a warning to an approaching U.S. military aircraft: "You have entered China's 24-nautical-mile territorial zone under Taiwan Province. Leave immediately."

The radio transmission was intercepted by enthusiasts on the island and subsequently exposed. The exact model of the U.S. aircraft has not been confirmed, but it was most likely a reconnaissance or patrol aircraft.

Twenty-four nautical miles falls within the contiguous zone as defined by international law, where coastal states have jurisdictional authority. In the context of the Taiwan Strait, there is no ambiguity regarding sovereignty. The PLA naval vessel's enforcement warning to the U.S. aircraft is an exercise of sovereignty and also part of routine combat readiness.

However, what makes this case particularly noteworthy is that a surface combatant vessel directly expelled a U.S. aircraft within the 24-nautical-mile zone—an event rarely documented publicly. Compared to past patterns of circling around the island or crossing the strait, this action resembles law enforcement more than a symbolic assertion.

This sends a clear signal: the PLA’s monitoring and response capabilities in the maritime and airspace surrounding the Taiwan Strait have become real-time. Tolerance for foreign military reconnaissance near the region is decreasing. More importantly, the exercise of jurisdiction is shifting from mere verbal statements to concrete actions—effectively, the outer defense responsibilities previously held by Taiwan’s military are now being assumed by mainland China.

The Taiwan Defense Department stated they “maintained full awareness” of the situation, but did not mention whether any forces were deployed in response. The U.S. remained silent, consistent with its usual low-key approach to such friction incidents.

The 052D-class destroyer is equipped with advanced phased-array radar capable of tracking multiple aerial targets simultaneously. This implies that before issuing the warning, the "Nanjing" likely had the U.S. aircraft locked onto its radar system for some time. The expulsion was not a spontaneous reaction, but rather part of a systematic surveillance operation.

In recent years, military interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan have become increasingly frequent, with U.S. warships and aircraft regularly approaching the Taiwan Strait—a de facto norm. In response, the PLA has adopted practices of tracking, warning, and expelling these intrusions. Testing each other’s red lines at close range has now become a fixed routine.

This recent radio-based expulsion is just one facet of the ongoing daily competition in the Taiwan Strait. Yet what it reflects is a changing balance of power: the PLA’s forward deployment has become routine, and the practical assertion of jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait is advancing in substance. In the future, such scenarios will only increase. This is not necessarily an escalation of tensions, but rather a redefinition of the rules of the game.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873372062182428/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.