| Date | 23 May 2024 |
| Tracker | China-Taiwan Tensions |
| Type | Exercise |
| Location |
Taiwan Strait
23.57, 119.58 (approximate) |
Three days after President Lai Ching-te's inauguration, the PLA held the two-day Joint Sword-2024A exercises from May 23-24, 2024 around Taiwan and, for the first time, its outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, calling them punishment for separatism. Taiwan detected 111 PLA aircraft and dozens of naval and coast guard vessels over the two days, with 82 aircraft crossing the median line or entering the ADIZ. The China Coast Guard drilled jointly with the PLA for the first time.
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADIZ aircraft | 35 +525% | 5.6 | +530% (20 → 126) |
| Aircraft detected | 49 +405% | 9.7 | +382% (40 → 193) |
| PLAN ships | 19 +211% | 6.1 | +84% (49 → 90) |
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 2024 | Incursion | Chinese high-altitude balloon crosses over Taiwan island for first time amid overflight campaign |
| 14 Feb 2024 | Other | Chinese speedboat capsizes during Taiwan Coast Guard pursuit off Kinmen, killing two |
| 14 Oct 2024 | Exercise | China's Joint Sword-2024B drills set single-day record of 153 aircraft around Taiwan |
| 9 Dec 2024 | Exercise | China masses near-90-ship fleet around Taiwan in largest maritime deployment in decades |
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.