In the 24 hours leading up to 6:00 am Friday (2200 GMT Thursday), the Ministry of National Defence said it also detected six naval ships operating around Taiwan.

The ministry added that among the 36 military aircraft detected, 13 "crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait", the sensitive waterway separating China from democratic Taiwan.

Friday's announcement comes on the heels of nighttime activity by the Chinese military, with Taiwan's defence ministry announcing around 10:30 pm Thursday that 20 fighter jets, aerial unmanned vehicles and transport planes had been detected from 7:30 pm.

It is also the day after an uptick in activity during the 24-hour period ending at 6:00 am Thursday, when the ministry said Beijing had sent in 32 aircraft.

Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under China's control.

Since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen -- who does not recognise China's claim on Taiwan -- Beijing has stepped up military and political pressures on the island.

Taiwan sees near-daily Chinese warplanes and naval warships around its island -- a form of "grey-zone" harassment that military experts say are tactics that stop short of open warfare.