Air Defense Identification Zone (Taiwan)
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The Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone is an air defense identification zone of the Republic of China (ROC), which covers Taiwan, its surroundings, and a large portion of the Chinese mainland. A theoretical "median line" was defined in 1955 one year after the zone was established. The ADIZ includes international airspace that countries can arbitrarily monitor. In recent years, it has seen an increased number of sorties flown by People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft.[1][2][3]
The ROC's ADIZ covers most of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan Province, parts of Fujian (that are administered by the ROC and by the People's Republic of China (PRC) separately), Zhejiang, and Jiangxi, and part of the East China Sea. It was designed and created by the United States Armed Forces (USAF) in 1954[4]: 42 and the basis of Taipei Flight Information Region.[5][6]: 15 The zone is monitored by PAVE PAWS radar located near Hsinchu and operated with help from US advisors.[7]
Median line
A theoretical line was defined in 1955 down the middle of the strait, supposedly named after USAF General Benjamin O. Davis Jr.[8][9][4]: 42 Aircraft from Taiwan flew combat missions on the other side until they lost control of mainland airspace to the PLAAF after the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. ROCAF U-2 planes continued to fly over the mainland until 1968.[4]: 45–58 The line was avoided by the PRC until 1999 when groups of PLAAF aircraft crossed over in response to "state-to-state" comments made by Lee Teng-hui. Beijing has never recognized the line.[1][3] The PRC has flown an increased number of sorties across the median line,[10][11] although it tries not to do so when relations with Taiwan are good.[12]