The number of violations of Taiwan’s airspace by Chinese warplanes has doubled in the past year compared to 2021, according to a tally by AFP news agency.
China regards Taiwan as a renegade region that must eventually come back under the authority of the People’s Republic. In 2022, relations deteriorated as China held large-scale military exercises near the island in protest of a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.
China sent 1,727 fighter jets and bombers into Taiwan’s airspace in 2022, according to a database of daily updates from the Taiwan Ministry of Defense. In 2021 this happened about 960 times and in 2020 there were 380 incidents. Chinese drones were also spotted in Taiwan’s airspace for the first time last year, with all incidents occurring after Pelosi’s visit.
Military analysts say the provocations are testing Taiwan’s defenses, trying to deplete its aging air force and also expressing displeasure with Western support for Taipei, particularly from the United States. “They want to show their determination and make it clear to the United States: don’t cross our red lines,” said Lee Hsi-min, the former chief of staff of the Taiwanese armed forces.