The presence of the Chinese Air Force around Taiwan has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks, after there had been daily military maneuvers going on in the region conducted by China. This comes as Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later in March, as well as the US launching a military operation not too far from China in Iran.
In 2025 so far, China has sent 460 military planes into Taiwan's air defense zone, which is a 46.5 percent drop in activity compared to a year ago, according to a report from Reuters. In February alone, Taiwan was able to detect 190 Chinese military aircraft in its air defense space the lowest monthly number since Taiwan started publishing data on the actions.
The move by Chinese President Xi Jinping may be in preparation ahead of a summit with President Donald Trump, which may decrease tensions in the lead-up to the meeting. A senior Taiwan security official told the outlet, "Beijing might be trying to create a false impression: I am peaceful, I am moving toward peace, so you should stop selling weapons to Taiwan.”
Reuters also reported that another reason for the lull in China’s action near Taiwan may be connected to China’s ongoing corruption purge. Despite them pulling back, the Chinese navy, as well as the coast guard, are still active in the region.
"Just because they're not coming now doesn't mean they won't come back in the future, and we can't rule out that they may be preparing for an even larger operation," another Taiwan security official said. "We should not project any change in Beijing's intentions based solely on a few days of activity."
Tensions between the US and China may escalate in coming days after the US military operation in Iran has cut off a significant portion of China's crude oil supply. After the attack was launched, China ordered refineries in the nation to stop exporting petroleum products.
In 2025 so far, China has sent 460 military planes into Taiwan's air defense zone, which is a 46.5 percent drop in activity compared to a year ago, according to a report from Reuters. In February alone, Taiwan was able to detect 190 Chinese military aircraft in its air defense space the lowest monthly number since Taiwan started publishing data on the actions.
The move by Chinese President Xi Jinping may be in preparation ahead of a summit with President Donald Trump, which may decrease tensions in the lead-up to the meeting. A senior Taiwan security official told the outlet, "Beijing might be trying to create a false impression: I am peaceful, I am moving toward peace, so you should stop selling weapons to Taiwan.”
Reuters also reported that another reason for the lull in China’s action near Taiwan may be connected to China’s ongoing corruption purge. Despite them pulling back, the Chinese navy, as well as the coast guard, are still active in the region.
"Just because they're not coming now doesn't mean they won't come back in the future, and we can't rule out that they may be preparing for an even larger operation," another Taiwan security official said. "We should not project any change in Beijing's intentions based solely on a few days of activity."
Tensions between the US and China may escalate in coming days after the US military operation in Iran has cut off a significant portion of China's crude oil supply. After the attack was launched, China ordered refineries in the nation to stop exporting petroleum products.
