| Date | 1 Sep 2022 |
| Tracker | China-Taiwan Tensions |
| Type | Interception |
| Location |
Kinmen, Taiwan
24.45, 118.38 (approximate) |
Taiwanese troops on Lion Islet, part of Kinmen County about four kilometres from Xiamen, shot down a civilian drone that entered restricted airspace after warnings were ignored. It was the first time Taiwan's military had downed a drone from China, following days of repeated intrusions over Kinmen's garrisoned islets and President Tsai Ing-wen's instruction to take strong countermeasures against such incursions. The shootdown came amid the heightened gray-zone pressure that followed the August 2022 PLA exercises around Taiwan.
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADIZ aircraft | 23 +56% | 14.7 | -45% (85 → 47) |
| Aircraft detected | 53 +79% | 29.6 | -45% (217 → 120) |
| PLAN ships | 8 +8% | 7.4 | -31% (51 → 35) |
| 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 |
| 4 Aug 2022 | Exercise | China launches unprecedented live-fire exercises encircling Taiwan after Pelosi visit |
| 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.