Taiwan reports rare nighttime Chinese military activity nearby. On Thursday, Taiwan claimed that China had conducted unusual military operations surrounding the island during the night. These operations included planes crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait. Beijing is continuing these operations in preparation for Taiwan’s next election in January.

The Chinese government has been conducting regular military drills and patrols near Taiwan for the past four years, which has been a source of concern for Taiwan, which is a democratically controlled island that China claims as its territory.

In preparation for the presidential and legislative elections that will take place in Taiwan on January 13, campaigning has reached a fever pitch.

One of the most contentious issues is the state of relations with China. Beginning at around 7.30 p.m. (1130 GMT) on Thursday evening, the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan announced that it had identified Su-30, J-10, and J-11 fighters, as well as nuclear-capable H-6 bombers and early warning aircraft operating off the coast of northern and central Taiwan, as well as to the southwest of the island.

According to the ministry, thirteen of those aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or nearby regions to carry out “joint combat readiness patrols” in conjunction with Chinese vessels.

The median line of the strait was initially used as an unofficial barrier between the two sides of the strait; however, Chinese planes now routinely fly over it.

According to the government, Taiwan dispatched its personnel to monitor the situation. Over the past month, China’s air force has reportedly carried out at least four other significant missions of a similar nature, according to Taiwan. Beijing has not disclosed any information regarding these sorties, even though they occurred during the day.

“Collusion” between Taiwan separatists and the United States is something that China claims to be avoiding with its actions near Taiwan. China also claims that these efforts are preserving China’s territorial integrity.

Taiwan’s administration, which has made several attempts to engage in dialogue with China, has rejected Beijing’s assertions of sovereignty and asserted that the people of Taiwan are the only ones who can choose their destiny.

According to the results of public surveys, Lai Ching-te, the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, whom Beijing has referred to as a separatist, is now the front-runner to become Taiwan’s next president.

While the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s most prominent opposition party, has generally supported strong relations with Beijing, it has also committed to restarting talks with China if it is victorious in the national election.