Taiwan reports return of large-scale Chinese air force activity after two-week lull
TAIPEI — Taiwan on Sunday said Chinese military flights around the island have resumed at scale after an unexplained pause of more than two weeks, with 26 People’s Liberation Army aircraft detected in the previous 24 hours, the defense ministry reported.
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The sorties — concentrated in the Taiwan Strait — mark the largest single-day tally since Feb. 25, when Taipei tracked 30 aircraft as Beijing carried out what it called a “joint combat readiness patrol.” China, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory, typically dispatches fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft on near-daily missions around Taiwan, pausing largely for poor weather.
From Feb. 27 through March 6, Taiwan reported no Chinese military aircraft in its daily updates. Two PLA aircraft were then spotted to Taiwan’s far southwest on March 7, followed by only sporadic, small-scale activity — until the return of Sunday’s larger formation.
Beijing did not provide a reason for the lull or the renewed flights and did not respond to a request for comment. Late Saturday, however, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office sharply criticized Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te after he delivered a speech arguing for higher defense spending and the protection of Taiwan’s democracy.
“People like Lai Ching-te should not miscalculate; if they dare to take reckless risks, they will dig their own grave,” a spokesperson for the office said in a statement.
Officials and analysts in Taipei have offered competing explanations for the quiet period and its end, ranging from a tactical recalibration of pressure ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China from March 31, to knock-on effects from President Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge of senior Chinese generals. None of the theories could be independently verified.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo has previously cautioned that even when Chinese aircraft dial back, PLA naval vessels continue to operate around the island, underscoring that the broader threat remains. Taiwan’s military said it monitored Sunday’s air activity and tasked combat air patrols, naval ships and land-based missile systems to track the aircraft.
The renewed flights reinforce a pattern of military pressure that has expanded in tempo and complexity in recent years, often involving multi-axis approaches around Taiwan’s perimeter. Taipei says these maneuvers are designed to exhaust its forces, test response times and shape public sentiment, while signaling Beijing’s resolve.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can determine their future. President Lai, who took office pledging to bolster defense readiness and deepen international partnerships, has framed deterrence as essential to preserving stability in the Taiwan Strait — a critical waterway for global trade and regional security.
While Sunday’s tally falls short of the heaviest surges seen in past spikes, the timing after a rare pause is likely to draw close scrutiny in Taipei, Washington and allied capitals. With high-level diplomacy on the calendar and China’s internal military reshuffles still reverberating, defense planners will be watching for whether the latest flights presage a new phase of sustained pressure or remain a one-off show of force.
For now, Taiwan’s message is unchanged: the island will continue to monitor, respond and seek support from like-minded partners, even as it pushes back against Beijing’s warnings. The stakes remain elevated — and the margin for miscalculation, on all sides, uncomfortably thin.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
