COMMENTARY / World

China’s record-setting incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ

Psychological warfare aimed at creating fear among the island’s public also explain the flybys

Taiwan Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets. Repeatedly needing to intercept Chinese planes places great pressure on the island's military and cost it at least $886 million in 2020 alone after scrambling interceptors nearly 3,000 times. | REUTERS

By Brian Hioe
The Diplomat

Oct 6, 2021

Incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) by Chinese military aircraft have broken consecutive records in the past week, with 154 warplanes dispatched to Taiwan’s ADIZ over the past five days.

October 2021 now holds the record for the most flybys of Chinese warplanes, despite the fact that not even a week has elapsed since the month began.

The flybys were timed to coincide with China’s National Day, which is commemorated on Oct. 1. On Friday, the day of National Day itself, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported 38 Chinese military planes dispatched to Taiwan’s ADIZ, breaking a previous record set in June.

China’s record-setting incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ

Psychological warfare aimed at creating fear among the island’s public also explain the flybys

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