China's air incursions into Taiwan defence zone doubled last year: Reports

The surge occurred at a time when Beijing has intensified threats towards the island.

Cross-strait ties have been icy for years under Chinese President Xi Jinping and pro-independence Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. But 2022 saw a deeper deterioration, as the Chinese ramped up incursions and launched the largest war games in decades to protest against a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August, reports The Straits Times.

China sent 1,727 planes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in 2022, according to an AFP database based on daily updates released by Taipei’s Defence Ministry as quoted by the newspaper.

That compares with around 960 incursions in 2021 and 380 in 2020.

Fighter jet sorties more than doubled from 538 in 2021 to 1,241 while incursions by bombers, including the nuclear-capable H6, went from 60 to 101.

“They want to show their determination, their will and to coerce the United States: don’t get too close to their red lines, don’t cross their red lines,” Lee Hsi-ming, Taiwan’s former chief of general staff, told AFP.