Chinese military aircraft incursions near Taiwan have increased significantly over the past five years, with sorties in the Taiwan Strait rising from 380 in 2020 to 5,709 in 2025. The Department of China Affairs of Taiwan’s ruling party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) highlighted that these actions indicate Beijing’s expansionist ambitions, using the Taiwan Strait as a testing ground. The rise in incursions is part of China’s strategy to alter the regional status quo, with Taiwan being a crucial element in its military plans.
The report emphasized that the Taiwan Strait has become a core theater for China’s gray zone activities, aimed at testing deterrence and gradually expanding security boundaries. China’s military drills, including large-scale exercises in 2025, have put pressure on Taiwan by approaching its territorial sea and airspace baselines. These actions, according to the report, pose a significant threat to peace in the Indo-Pacific region as China’s strategic objectives extend beyond Taiwan.
China has been conducting high-intensity military and quasi-military operations in various areas, such as the Diaoyutai Islands, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the South China Sea. The country’s Victory Day Parade in 2025 was seen as a showcase of its military ambitions. Additionally, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau accused China of using IT and marketing firms to spread disinformation and fake news as part of cognitive warfare against Taiwan. The NSB’s analysis revealed the use of fake social media accounts and disinformation to influence public opinion and create divisions within Taiwan.
