Taiwan detected 66 Chinese military aircraft around the island in a 24-hour window on July 11, a record-high this year, Taipei’s defence ministry said. The move comes a day after Taipei said Beijing was conducting exercises in nearby waters.Taiwan said Chinese aircraft were headed to the western Pacific for exercises with the PLA aircraft carrier Shandong. Fifty-six of the Chinese aircraft crossed the sensitive median line bisecting the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said, adding it has “responded accordingly”. The median line is a narrow 180-kilometre (110-mile) waterway separating the island from mainland China.Taiwan’s defence ministry released two pictures of a Chinese J-16 fighter and nuclear-capable H-6 bomber, which it said were taken recently.