On April 8, Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels began churning through the air and sea around Taiwan.
All of the planes passed through Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ)–a section of international airspace countries can arbitrarily define as theirs to monitor–and crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, but did not enter Taiwanese airspace.
Most of those aircraft crossed the southwestern edge of the ADIZ, but unlike in previous Chinese military exercises, some entered from the southeastern edge of the area. These aircraft were most likely launched from one of China’s aircraft carriers, the Shandong, which was operating on the eastern side of the ADIZ, according to Japan's Self-Defense Force.
Taiwan ADIZ
From April 8 to 10, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported 232 Chinese aircraft entering their ADIZ.
April 16-18
The dates for which China initially notified Taipei it would impose a no-fly zone
The latest drills near Taiwan show China is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, and Beijing said that its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defenses from the east.
Since April 8, 293 aircraft and 47 vessels have operated near Taiwanese territory, a greater number than in previous such exercises.
This intensity peaked when 91 aircraft were launched on April 10, marking the highest number for a single day recorded by the Taiwanese defense ministry since Jan. 1, 2021.
Over the last few years, China has ramped up the frequency of aircraft sorties from a few a week to at least one a day. In recent months, the tempo of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operations around Taiwan increased increased even further, according to tabulated data based on Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense press releases.
Many of these activities appear to be responses to Taiwanese involvement with the US–most recently from April 8-10, after President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California days earlier.
Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties, in a rare show of unity, put out a joint statement from their parliament caucuses condemning the drills.
"The people and government of Taiwan have the right to conduct normal exchanges with other countries and contribute to the international community through international participation," the statement said. "The Chinese authorities have no right to obstruct and cannot change the strong will of the Taiwanese people to go out into the world."
The three days of exercises China carried out in response to the April trip were not as intense as those that unfolded in August 2022 in protest of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei. But China used them to show off its capabilities in the air and sea–both of which it would need to control if it attempted a blockade, analysts say.
Beijing has continued military activities around Taiwan, despite announcing an official end to the drills on April 10.
China, which warned the US not to allow Tsai to visit or meet McCarthy, claims Taiwan as its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratically governed island under Beijing's control. Taiwan's government strongly disputes China's claims.
"The troops in the theatre are ready to fight all the time and can fight at any time, resolutely crushing any form of Taiwan independence separatism and foreign interference," the Eastern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said in a statement during the drills.
China also notified Taipei it would impose a no-fly zone from April 16-18, but within hours, after Taiwan's transport ministry said it objected to the lengthy window, the duration was reduced to 27 minutes on April 16.
When China imposed airspace restrictions during military drills in August 2022, there were significant disruptions to flights in the region, with some aircraft required to carry extra fuel, according to OPSGROUP, an aviation industry cooperative that advises on flight risks.