Taiwan saw a surge of Chinese military planes near the island, its Defence Ministry said Sunday (March 15, 2026), after a sharp drop in flights over the past two weeks had sparked discussions among observers.
The Ministry detected 26 Chinese military aircraft around the island on Saturday (March 14, 2026), with 16 of them entering its northern, central and southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone. Seven naval ships were spotted around the island, it reported.
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The increased number of aircraft came after the Ministry reported a fall that left analysts scratching their heads about what China’s military may be up to.
Taiwan didn’t report any Chinese military planes that went beyond the median line and entered the zone for a week from February 27 to March 5. After two were detected on March 6, the next four days had none. Such flights resumed in small numbers between Wednesday and Friday.
