The number of incursions China’s warplanes made into a sensitive area around Taiwan nearly doubled in 2022 compared to a year earlier, a sign of increased tensions over the democratically run island.
(Bloomberg) — The number of incursions China’s warplanes made into a sensitive area around Taiwan nearly doubled in 2022 compared to a year earlier, a sign of increased tensions over the democratically run island.
The Chinese military sent more than 1,700 planes into Taiwan’s air-defense identification zone last year, according to data from the Defense Ministry in Taipei that Bloomberg compiled. That compares with 960 in 2021 and 380 the previous year.
Some 668 of the aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait’s so-called median line in 2022. Those flights used to be rare but Beijing has stepped them up, shrinking the buffer zone between the two sides and cutting the time that Taiwan’s military has to react to any attack.
Tensions between China and the US due to Taiwan spiked last year as Nancy Pelosi became the first sitting House speaker in 25 years to visit Taipei and the Biden administration stepped up its military support for the island. Last month, US lawmakers agreed to a $1.7 trillion spending bill that permits up to $10 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has been working to boost the island’s standing on the world stage. As part of that campaign, she has welcomed lawmakers from a range of countries and other figures, such as Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization who is visiting now.
Those trips are likely to remain frequent, at least until 2024, when Tsai has to step down due to term limits. House Republican Kevin McCarthy said he’d visit if he becomes the next speaker, a move that would likely prompt Beijing to show its displeasure by sending more warplanes near Taiwan.
–With assistance from Cindy Wang.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.