Sharp drop in Chinese military aircraft near Taiwan raises questionsAFP, TAIPEITaiwan has not detected a single Chinese military aircraft around the island for nine of the past 10 days, leaving experts puzzling over the reasons for the dramatic reduction in sorties. But since February 28, only two Chinese aircraft have been recorded in a single 24-hour period near Taiwan, according to an AFP tally of figures released daily by the defence ministry. An average of six Chinese warships have been spotted on a daily basis around the island in the past 10 days, which was the same as last year. Chinese military sorties around Taiwan also fell around 42 percent in January and February compared with the same period last year. Another longtime observer of the Chinese military said it was “not clear at all how to read it”.

Source: Taipei Times March 09, 2026 17:16 UTC