What new line was crossed by China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan?
“Beijing is, once again, testing a core element of the status quo that has underpinned a fragile peace across the Taiwan Strait for decades. This time, the focus is Taiwan’s contiguous zone—the 12-nautical-mile buffer surrounding its territorial waters. The steady normalization of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military activity within this space marks a subtle but consequential shift, one that lowers thresholds, increases the risk of miscalculation, and sets a potentially destabilizing precedent for future Chinese military operations.”
—“China’s Taiwan Drills Are Crossing a New Line,” The Diplomat, January 3, 2026
Why did the United Kingdom have to “scramble to contain fallout with Beijing” in 2025?
“China threatened to cancel high-level trade talks with the UK earlier this year [last year: 2025] over a government minister’s visit to Taiwan, the Guardian can disclose.
“Beijing told the British government it would pull its first trade and economic dialogue with the UK in seven years after Douglas Alexander, then a trade minister, travelled to Taipei in late June….
“China’s threat to cancel the talks, according to two well-placed UK sources briefed on the discussions, came after Alexander visited Taipei on 29 and 30 June and met the Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te….
“The government is preparing to approve controversial plans to build a Chinese super-embassy near Tower Bridge in London after receiving the green light from the security services. Keir Starmer is planning to travel to Beijing for his first bilateral visit in late January.”
—“China threatened to cancel key trade talks after UK minister’s Taiwan visit in June,” The Guardian, January 2, 2026
Why did China disrupt air traffic during its December military exercises around Taiwan?
“The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s recent large-scale military exercises was no accident but rather the result of a ‘quasi-blockade’ used to simulate creating air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said….
“Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers.
“According to Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), the air traffic disruption triggered by China’s military drills served multiple purposes.
“First, it simulated a quasi-blockade by shutting down some of Taiwan’s international air routes, Su wrote in an article published on the INDSR’s website on Dec. 31….
“Su said the exercises also tested the feasibility of establishing ‘joint domain control,’ a newly proposed People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training concept that integrates sea control, air superiority and electromagnetic dominance….
“Notably, Su said, while blocking most of Taiwan’s air routes, China deliberately left open three routes—M750, G587 and R583.
“ ‘This is believed to have been an exercise in establishing ‘humanitarian corridors’ to facilitate foreign evacuations during a blockade of Taiwan, signaling an attempt to project an image of control and negotiability,’ Su wrote.”
—“China military drills’ disruption of air travel had a purpose,” Focus Taiwan: CNA English News, January 2, 2026
