| Date | 4 Aug 2022 |
| Tracker | China-Taiwan Tensions |
| Type | Exercise |
| Location |
Taiwan Strait
23.57, 119.58 (approximate) |
In response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August 2-3 visit to Taipei, the PLA held its largest-ever exercises around Taiwan from August 4 to about August 10, 2022, declaring closure zones encircling the island. On the first day China fired 11 ballistic missiles into waters around Taiwan, some overflying the island and five landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone. Nearly 450 PLA aircraft entered Taiwan's ADIZ during August, and median-line crossings by aircraft and warships became routine thereafter.
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADIZ aircraft | 22 +437% | 4.1 | +193% (57 → 167) |
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2021 | Incursion | China sends record 149 aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ over four days, peaking at 56 on October 4 |
| 1 Sep 2022 | Interception | Taiwan shoots down Chinese drone over Kinmen islet in first such intercept |
| 2 Feb 2023 | Infrastructure | Both undersea internet cables to Taiwan's Matsu Islands severed by China-linked vessels |
| 8 Apr 2023 | Exercise | China launches Joint Sword exercises encircling Taiwan after Tsai-McCarthy meeting |
Taiwan's Cabinet on September 3, 2026 approved a NT$145.7 billion (US$4.6 billion) defense allocation within a NT$607.63 billion supplementary budget, covering two classified programs, three uncrewed-systems programs and the Chiang Kung anti-ballistic missile system, pending a legislative vote.
President Lai Ching-te's government will ask the Legislative Yuan for NT$1.1225 trillion ($35.2 billion) in defense spending for 2027, the first Taiwanese military budget above NT$1 trillion and the first to exceed 3 percent of GDP.
Chinese military aircraft entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone fell 52 percent in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period of 2025, according to Taiwan's daily defense ministry reports — while PLA Navy vessel sightings dropped just 7 percent.