The People’s Republic of China, which recently took a stand against tension-escalating, has been flinging fewer military planes at Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait.
Reuters suggests that the “sudden drop in what had been daily military maneuvers…could signal Beijing is recalibrating its pressure on Taipei” with a few to the upcoming meeting between the Chinese dictator and the U.S. president (March 5, 2026).
China has dispatched 460 military planes—from fighter jets to drones—into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone so far this year, a 46.5 percent drop from a year earlier, government data compiled by research group Secure Taiwan Associate Corporation showed.
Last month, Taiwan detected 190 such Chinese aircraft, the lowest monthly tally since the Ministry of National Defense began publishing detailed daily figures in 2022.
Chinese President Xi Jinping might be toning down visible pressure tactics to create a better atmosphere ahead of his anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump at the end of the month, two Taiwanese officials said.
Facing Trump, “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,” a senior Taiwan security official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Another speculation is that ongoing military purges of commanders in China’s military are undermining military readiness. But “China’s navy and coast guard remain active, according to the Ministry of National Defense, showing that Beijing has only dialed down its more politically sensitive air activity.”
ROC officials seem to agree that the respite has no long-term implications. “We should not project any change in Beijing’s intentions based solely on a few days of activity,” observes an unidentified security official.
If nobody cancels, President Trump will be visiting China to meet with Xi in late March and early April.
