Taipei: Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that 16 Chinese warplanes had entered the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Saturday. They entered the southwest coast of Taiwan. However, Taiwanese forces also issued a radio alert. This is the first time since October that such a large number of Chinese warplanes have entered the Taiwan Air Defense Zone. The air defense detection area is larger than the sovereign territory of Taiwan. It extends for 12 nautical miles off the coast of Taiwan. Chinese warplanes frequently violate Taiwan’s airspace. Chinese planes entered the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone on Saturday, a day after a European Parliament delegation arrived in Taipei on a three-day visit. Seven legislators from the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Interference in the Democratic Process visited Taiwan last week to boost EU-Taiwan political ties. EU lawmakers also said his visit would not provoke China.