Chinese military flights into a sensitive area near Taiwan last month fell to the lowest level of President William Lai’s (賴清德) tenure, an indication that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is tweaking its training focus.
The PLA last month sent an average of 5.4 aircraft per day across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to data from the Ministry of National Defense. That was the fewest since just before Lai assumed the presidency in May 2024.
The decline could be a sign that over the past few years the PLA has finished most of its basic long-distance flight training, said Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a military think tank.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
“More experienced pilots can now devote more time to tactical training, rather than training aimed at increasing individual flight hours,” he said.
China has ramped up its military intimidation of Lai’s administration, holding several rounds of major exercises during his time in office.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has been conducting a purge of the military’s top ranks, most recently taking down the nation’s top general. In October last year, Xi agreed to a one-year truce in a trade dispute with US President Donald Trump.
Those developments were probably unrelated to recent training activity by PLA warplanes, said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“The reduction in flights is not accompanied by a corresponding softening of Beijing’s rhetoric towards Taiwan or President Lai, so I am skeptical that it is politically motivated,” he said.
The growing complexity of China’s joint operations among aircraft is more concerning than the drop in flights, said Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University.
“We are now seeing more fighter jets conducting training alongside early warning aircraft,” Lin said, a sophisticated drill that would give Chinese warplanes more targeting options.
“You can’t measure the pressure based on the number of sorties alone,” he added.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS