HONG KONG, February 14. /TASS/. Taiwan’s armed forces spotted and recorded a swarm of 14 Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) approaching the island, the defense agency said in a statement on its page on X (formerly Twitter).

"Overall 14 PLA aircraft in various types (including J-16, Y-8, UAVs, etc.) were detected along the southeastern coast of Mainland China from 13:00 hr today (5:00 a.m. GMT - TASS)," the statement reads.

It notes that nine of the 14 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the air defense identification zone in the northern and southwestern parts of the island.

Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949, when the remaining Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island after being defeated in China’s civil war. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. Beijing regards the island as one of its provinces, a position that is supported by most countries, including Russia.