Taipei, Jan. 28 -- Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday said that it detected four sorties by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and five People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels operating around its territory up to 6 am (UTC+8).

It added that one balloon was also detected during the timeframe.

In a post on X, the MND said, "4 sorties of PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 balloon was detected during this timeframe. We have monitored the situation and responded."

Earlier on Tuesday, Taiwan's MND said that it detected two PLA aircraft sorties and five PLAN vessels operating around its territory.

"2 PLA aircraft, 5 PLAN vessels and 1 offici...