China has routinely sent bombers and other aircraft close to Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Following Tsai’s re-election, Chinese state media suggested that China could flex its muscles near Taiwan to register Beijing’s continued displeasure with Tsai. A US warship last week sailed through the Taiwan Strait, with the US Navy conducting sporadic transits of the waterway since 2018. China sailed its newest aircraft carrier, the Shandong, through the Taiwan Strait twice in the run-up to the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections.
