Beijing’s two largest air sorties into Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) last month were more directed at the new administration of US President Joe Biden than Taiwan, an analyst said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research assistant research fellow Jeremy Hung (洪子傑) made the comments in a research paper published on the institute’s Web site on Wednesday.
Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sent aircraft into the airspace between Taiwan and the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea on at least 100 days, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
Taiwan considers the airspace above strategic waters connecting the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea part of its ADIZ.
Chinese military planes flew into the zone 26 out of the first 30 days of this year, ministry records showed.
However, the two largest intrusions came on Jan. 23 and 24, when the PLA sent 13 and 15 military planes, including bombers and fighter jets, respectively, into the area.
The ministry began publicizing the Chinese incursions in mid-September last year.
Hung said the two largest incursions came shortly after Biden took office
The mode of “harassment” differed from previous intrusions, when the PLA mostly deployed one or two low-speed spy planes, which are not considered as provocative as fighter jets, Hung said.
However, the two incursions last month were “less intimidating,” as they took place in airspace southwest of Taiwan rather than in the middle of the Taiwan Strait, he added.
The PLA has previously sent aircraft across the median line of the Strait, such as when Beijing believes developments involving Taiwan breach its “one China” principle, he said.
The two incidents last month were Beijing’s response to Washington inviting Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) to Biden’s inauguration, and a Jan. 23 statement by the US Department of State urging China to stop intimidating Taiwan, Hung said.
Although the two incidents can still be viewed as part of Beijing’s continued coercion of Taiwan, sending a message to the Biden administration, as well as proving PLA training, might be Beijing’s main objectives, he said.
From a political viewpoint, Beijing might want to pressure the new US government into bilateral dialogue, he said.
From a military perspective, the PLA might also want to test and hone its combat skills, as the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its battle group transited the Bashi Channel into the South China Sea on Jan. 23, he added.
Intrusions by warplanes are a “double-edged sword,” Huang said.
While Beijing moves to increase its military presence in the region, such action gives the US legitimate reasons to sell arms to Taiwan, he added.
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