On Monday, China’s military conducted a significant series of exercises around Taiwan, involving a record number of fighter jets and other warplanes, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. The one-day drills included not only Chinese fighter jets but also drones, warships, and Coast Guard vessels that simulated a blockade of the self-governing island.
Taiwan condemned these maneuvers as an “unreasonable provocation,” marking yet another instance in a growing trend of military exercises by Beijing aimed at intimidating its neighbor.
The intensity of the drills was underscored by the detection of 153 Chinese aircraft operating in the vicinity of Taiwan over a 25-hour period. Of these, 111 warplanes crossed the Median Line—a previously respected, albeit informal, boundary in the Taiwan Strait that Beijing has increasingly ignored.
These planes entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which is a zone that extends beyond a country’s sovereign airspace. While this escalation did not involve incursions into Taiwan’s sovereign airspace, analysts noted that the sheer number of military aircraft deployed exceeded the previous record of 103 detected in a single day in September 2023.
China Conducts Record Military Exercises Around Taiwan, Escalating Tensions with Fighter Jets and Warplanes
In response to the incursions, Taiwan’s military mobilized its own aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems to monitor the situation. The Taiwanese government has positioned itself firmly against Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the island, with President Lai Ching-te recently asserting that Taiwan “is not subordinate” to China.
His remarks came on National Day, emphasizing Taiwan’s commitment to maintaining its sovereignty despite pressures from Beijing. This military show of force by China appears to be a direct reaction to Lai’s assertive statements.
Chinese military drills around Taiwan have become increasingly frequent and tend to coincide with events that provoke Beijing’s ire. Analysts view these drills as part of a broader strategy aimed at applying continuous pressure on Taiwan while normalizing military activities in the region.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party continues to view Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be unified with the mainland, often threatening military action to achieve this goal. Meanwhile, a significant portion of the Taiwanese population identifies as distinctly Taiwanese, rejecting the notion of unification under Chinese governance.
The recent drills involved coordinated operations from various branches of the Chinese military, including the army, navy, air force, and rocket force, and were conducted in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan itself.
While none of China’s naval vessels entered Taiwan’s contiguous zone during these exercises, which extends 24 nautical miles from the shoreline, analysts cautioned that the drills posed a considerable threat. The proximity and frequency of such military activities are seen as dangerous, as they may leave Taiwan with minimal response time to any potential future aggression from China.
