| Date | 3 Jan 2025 |
| Tracker | China-Taiwan Tensions |
| Type | Infrastructure |
| Location |
Keelung, Taiwan
25.13, 121.74 (approximate) |
A segment of the Trans-Pacific Express international cable linking Taiwan to the US West Coast was damaged off Keelung on January 3, 2025. Taiwan's Coast Guard identified the Cameroon-flagged, Hong Kong-owned freighter Shunxing 39, crewed by Chinese nationals, as the suspect vessel; rough seas prevented boarding and the ship sailed on to South Korea. Chunghwa Telecom rerouted traffic with minimal disruption, but further faults reported weeks later on Matsu links deepened concern that China-linked ships were deliberately dragging anchors across Taiwan's subsea infrastructure.
| Series | That day | Prior 30-day avg | Week after vs before |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADIZ aircraft | 3 -56% | 6.8 | +20% (45 → 54) |
| Aircraft detected | 5 -61% | 12.8 | +4% (69 → 72) |
| PLAN ships | 7 -8% | 7.6 | +21% (43 → 52) |
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Infrastructure | Taiwan detains China-crewed freighter after Penghu undersea cable severed |
| 1 Apr 2025 | Exercise | China stages Strait Thunder-2025A drills with live fire and closest carrier approach to Taiwan |
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.