Aug. 7, 2022
Shows of force near Taiwan and Japanese islands
Over the past five days, China has been sending military aircraft and unmanned drones into areas close to Taiwan and Japan’s westernmost islands as part of its effort to intimidate Taiwan and the United States.
Taiwan’s military reported that Chinese military aircraft have entered what it calls its “Air Defense Identification Zone” or crossed the Taiwan Strait median line at least 131 times during this period.
Incursions of Chinese military aircraft
Reports of aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone or crossing the Taiwan Strait median line, Aug. 2-6.
Chinese military aircraft
Taiwan’s
Air Defense Identification Zone
Taiwan Strait median line
Chinese military exercise areas
Chinese military aircraft
Taiwan’s
Air Defense Identification Zone
Taiwan Strait median line
Chinese military
exercise areas
Source: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense By The New York Times
The aircraft have included at least 105 fighter jets and other types of warplanes. While Taiwan has reported similar incursions into this airspace since at least 2019, the number of sorties detected in recent days has been unprecedented.
Rising number of incursions
Number of Chinese military aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone or crossing the Taiwan Strait median line, seven-day rolling average.
China announces military exercises.
China announces
military exercises.
Source: Taiwan Ministry of National Defense By The New York Times
Japan’s defense ministry reported multiple flights of Chinese military drones near Miyakojima, one of Japan’s westernmost islands, on Aug. 4. This was just two days after Japan reported that at least five Chinese missiles had landed in its exclusive economic zone.
Chinese drones near Japanese islands on Aug. 4
Japanese exclusive economic zone
Chinese military exercise areas
Japanese exclusive economic zone
Chinese military exercise areas
Japanese exclusive economic zone
Chinese military exercise areas
Source: Japanese Ministry of Defense By The New York Times
The Chinese military said in a statement on Saturday that its military exercises in the sea and airspaces north, east and southwest of Taiwan were meant to test its capabilities for land and sea assaults. State media has indicated that the actions could mark a new pattern of more regular and more aggressive incursions.
Aug. 4, 2022
Chinese missiles land near Taiwan and in Japan’s economic zone
At least 11 Chinese missiles fell into the sea to the north, south and east of Taiwan on Thursday. The People’s Liberation Army declared that its missiles “all precisely hit their targets,” even as Japan said that five had landed in its exclusive economic zone.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense described the paths of nine of the missiles, including the five that Japan said had landed in its exclusive economic zone — the first time any had landed in those waters.
Approximate missile paths
Japanese exclusive economic zone
Five of the missiles fell into this area
Approximate
missile paths
Japanese exclusive economic zone
Five of the missiles fell into this area
Source: Japanese Ministry of Defense By The New York Times
Aug. 2, 2022
Where China is planning military drills
Shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plane landed in Taiwan late Tuesday, China announced it would hold military drills in an area that appeared to infringe on Taiwan’s territorial waters, even closer to Taiwan than similar areas that were announced during the Taiwan Strait crisis in the mid-1990s.
Taiwan territorial waters
Exercises will be held in areas less than 10 miles from the Taiwanese coast.
Taiwan territorial waters
Exercises will be held in areas less than 10 miles from the Taiwanese coast.
Taiwan territorial
waters
Exercises will be held in areas less than 10 miles from the Taiwanese coast.
Sources: Xinhua; 1995-96 military exercise areas from Australian National University; Maritime boundaries showing Taiwan territorial claims from Flanders Marine Institute (2019). By The New York Times
In a statement published by the state news agency, Xinhua, China warned ships and planes not to enter those areas for “security reasons.” One of the planned drill areas appeared to be less than 12 miles from Kaohsiung, a southern port city, according to a map released by Xinhua.
