Overview
- China’s Eastern Theater Command conducted a second day of operations with destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and long‑range artillery, practicing sea‑air coordination and blockade tactics north and south of the island.
- Taiwan reported 130 Chinese aircraft, 14 navy ships and eight other official vessels in 24 hours, with 90 aircraft crossing the strait’s median line and a Chinese balloon detected, and it deployed aircraft, ships and coastal missile systems in response.
- Authorities set up seven temporary danger zones affecting air routes, with Taiwan estimating disruptions to more than 100,000 passengers as flight paths were adjusted around the drills.
- Chinese messaging described the exercises as a stern warning to separatist forces and outside interference and highlighted simulated blockades of key ports including Keelung and Kaohsiung.
- The escalation follows the recent U.S. approval of an approximately $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan and Chinese sanctions on U.S. defense firms, while regional tensions with Japan remain elevated and President Donald Trump said he was not worried about the drills.