The Chinese Air Force sent 52 aircraft towards Taiwan on Sunday and Monday in the latest Force show aimed at the island, pushing jets to be randomized in response.

The Taiwanese defense ministry said 39 PLA aircraft had entered the air defense identification zone (Adiz) on Sunday, while 13 more aircraft did it on Monday. The first group included 34 J-16 Jet fighters, four electronic war aircraft and one H-6 bomber, while on Monday there were 10 J-16, two H-6 bombers and one Y-8 submarine plane.

The ministry said Taiwan had shuffled jets and issued radio warnings in response.

China is in the past sent by planes to Adiz Taiwan – but less than entering Taiwan airspace – as a power or signal performance often coincides with political development or military training.

October last year saw an increase in air strikes that had been unprecedented into Adiz, and after a record of 56 aircraft into Adiz on one day ago, Taiwan’s defense minister was asked to describe the cross-strait situation that he had seen in 40 years.

Exercise a.s.-japan

Reports in China’s media suggest the latest air intrusion into Adiz may have time to coincide with the recently concluded A.-Japan exercise. Last year, intrusions coincided with Chinese National Day on October 1 and ahead of the national day “twice ten” was celebrated in Taiwan on October 10.

China sees Taiwan as a province, although both of them have been ruled separately since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. The bond has dropped and Beijing has increased pressure, including weaning some of the remaining countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, after the election of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Tsai Ing-Wen in 2016. Tsai was re-elected as president for the second term after a landslide victory in 2020.

Beijing has accused the DPP to pursue “independence”, while Tsai said Taiwan only wanted to maintain the current status quo and would “prevent the status quo unilaterally changed” by Beijing.