Sharp drop in Chinese military aircraft near Taiwan raises questions

Only two Chinese aircraft have been recorded in a single 24-hour period near Taiwan since Feb 28. Read more at straitstimes.com.

TAIPEI – Taiwan has not detected a single Chinese military aircraft around the island for nine of the past 10 days, leaving experts puzzling over the reasons for the dramatic reduction in sorties.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the island under its control.

Beijing has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, deploying fighter jets and warships around the island on a near-daily basis.

But since Feb 28, only two Chinese aircraft have been recorded in a single 24-hour period near Taiwan, according to an AFP tally of figures released daily by the defence ministry.

That compares with 86 for the same period in 2025. It is the longest stretch of no detections since AFP began recording the figures in 2024.

An average of six Chinese warships have been spotted on a daily basis around the island in the past 10 days, which was the same as in 2025.