Taipei: Taiwan's Apex Aviation confirmed on Thursday that a Chinese military jet flew close to one of its medevac aircraft near Kinmen in June. The incident, which occurred on June 26, involved the medevac plane traveling from Taipei Songshan Airport to Kinmen County without patients onboard.

According to Focus Taiwan, Apex stated that as the aircraft neared Kinmen, the pilots received a warning from Kaohsiung Approach about a People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft in the vicinity. The PLA jet was ordered to vacate the civilian airway. Apex noted that a fighter jet was seen flying alongside their plane, though the exact proximity was "difficult to gauge." The Chinese jet was visible for about five minutes, but Apex couldn't ascertain the precise duration of its closeness.

Apex's pilots adhered to air traffic control directions and reported no issues during the rest of the flight to Kinmen Airport. The company did not report the incident initially, attributing it to a possible coincidence with PLA's "joint combat readiness patrols" that day.

Reports by RW News indicated that two PLA aircraft had approached the medevac plane "several months ago." In response, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) condemned the actions, urging an end to such activities that it claimed threaten "humanitarian relief and jeopardize flight safety."

MAC emphasized China's increasing military threats and frequent intimidations around the Taiwan Strait, accusing the PLA of targeting medevac aircraft. MAC deputy head Liang Wen-chieh described the incident as unprecedented and expressed hope it won't recur, emphasizing the medevac service's importance to Kinmen's medical support.

Apex's account differed from RW News regarding the number of PLA aircraft, prompting CNA to seek clarification from the Air Force, which highlighted its comprehensive surveillance efforts without directly addressing whether the incident was a gray-zone incursion.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, Chen Binhua, criticized Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for allegedly exaggerating "gray-zone harassment" to divert attention from governance issues. Chen accused the DPP of stoking "anti-China" sentiments among Taiwanese residents.