TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three aircraft from China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) Wednesday (July 20), according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The military identified the airplanes as two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets and a Shaanxi Y-8 ASW anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

As on most previous occasions, the aircraft appeared in the southwest sector of the ADIZ and were soon warned to leave the area. The military also said it deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the activities of the aircraft.

The incursions took place while former United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper was still in Taiwan as part of a four-day visit by an Atlantic Council delegation. The ex-chief of the Pentagon met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) Tuesday.

The same day, the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold sailed northward through the Taiwan Strait, a move condemned by China as provocative and “risky.”