HONG KONG, December 26. /TASS/. The Taiwanese military has registered the approach of five warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy near the island, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on X.

"Five PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. today (10 p.m. GMT on Wednesday - TASS)," the statement reads. According to it, the Taiwanese Armed Force "have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."

Meanwhile, unlike in previous days, "no PLA aircraft operating around Taiwan were detected," the ministry added.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.