China Breaks Record for Flights into Taiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone

The most recent deployment of Chinese ships off the coast of Taiwan included H-6 bombers (Wikimedia Commons).

China flew a record number of aircraft sorties into the Taiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) from October 1 through October 3 to commemorate its National Day. Based on reports from the Taiwanese Defense Ministry, the flights included two H-6 bombers, 22 fighter jets, and submarine planes.

According to Taipei City officials, Chinese planes have entered Taipei’s ADIZ nearly every day since September. Taiwan has sent military planes to monitor the Chinese flights in response to the latest incursions.

“What I think is clear is that they’re having some success wearing down Taiwan with this operational tempo,” said Zack Cooper, a Chinese military specialist at the American Enterprise Institute. “It’s tough on the pilots; it uses gas, which is expensive, and these air frames—the more you use them, the quicker they age.”

Beijing’s military planes did not enter Taiwan’s sovereign airspace, which, according to international law, extends 12 miles from the island’s coast. However, these flights entered Taiwan’s ADIZ, a self-declared zone where Taiwan maintains the right to monitor flights in the interest of national security.

Beijing’s military maneuvers surface amid a period of increasing hostilities between mainland China and its island neighbor. Some analysts view the new presence of bombers in the Chinese flights as an indication of Beijing’s increased willingness to attack Taiwan, which China views as an extension of its sovereign territory.

“Coming on Oct. 1, China’s National Day, it sends a message about Beijing’s determination to claim Taiwan, by force if necessary,” said Adam Ni, a Chinese military analyst. “The aim of this is to assert Beijing’s power and show military muscle.”

Commenting on the growing tensions between Beijing and Taipei, the Economist declared Taiwan “the most dangerous place in the world” in May 2021. This assertion followed a warning from U.S. Asia Pacific Commander Philip Davidson that Beijing was looking to develop the capabilities to launch an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

The Chinese government did not release an official statement on the record-breaking incursions, but state-controlled newspapers reported that the flights demonstrated Beijing’s legitimate rights over the island. The increased military maneuvers are occurring in conjunction with growing informal diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the United States.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department criticized Beijing’s maneuvers as “destabilizing” and a threat to “regional peace and stability.”

China’s flights and military exercises surrounding Taiwan’s airspace are only likely to increase as Beijing attempts to project its aerial and naval interests in the South China Sea.