Taiwan says its medical evacuation flight ‘intimidated’ by Beijing’s warplanes

Taiwan has accused Beijing of crossing a dangerous new line in its military intimidation campaign after People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes closed in on a Taiwanese medical evacuation aircraft near the frontline islet of Quemoy.

Officials condemned the manoeuvre as an “irrational” act that endangered lives, undermined humanitarian rescue operations and posed a serious threat to flight safety.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees cross-strait policy, said on Tuesday that the incident was part of a new pattern of “aerial grey-zone harassment” designed to test Taiwan’s military responses.

03:32

Taiwan launches ‘urban resilience’ drills to test war readiness amid PLA pressure

“Targeting even medical aircraft reflects not only a disregard for human life but also an open challenge to universal values,” the council said in a statement, demanding that Beijing immediately halt such provocations.

According to Taiwanese media, in June an Apex Aviation medevac plane flying an emergency mission to Quemoy – also known as Kinmen – was approached at visual range by a PLA JH-7 fighter-bomber and a J-10 fighter west of the Taiwan Strait’s median line – a notional boundary long respected by both sides but which Beijing no longer recognises.

Taiwanese military officials believe the encounter was intended to show Beijing’s jurisdiction over the strait’s airspace and probe Taiwan’s reaction.

“The incident may mark a new pattern of ‘aerial grey-zone harassment’, in which PLA aircraft exploit areas west of the median line where the military has little room to respond,” a military source said on condition of anonymity.

South China Morning Post