Overview
- Taiwan’s defense ministry said it tracked 89 Chinese military aircraft along with multiple warships and coast guard vessels operating near the island on the first day.
- The PLA reported live-fire training and simulated strikes on maritime and land targets, anti-submarine operations, and efforts to secure regional air superiority, including rehearsals to block key ports such as Keelung and Kaohsiung.
- Taiwan activated response centers and deployed forces, while flight restrictions in the exercise zones disrupted schedules affecting roughly 100,000 passengers.
- Beijing described the drills, which span multiple air and sea zones through Tuesday, as a “serious warning” to independence advocates and external interference, and its coast guard announced patrols near Matsu and Wuqiu.
- The maneuvers follow Washington’s approval of an arms package for Taiwan and China’s sanctions on U.S. defense firms, with rising friction involving Japan cited in official commentary.